by Ashley
He sexed her into exhaustion. By the time he was done, she had lost count of her orgasms.
He didn’t even lie down afterward. He climbed from the bed, taking the condom straight to the bathroom and flushing it down the toilet. When he returned, she was barely awake and the predicament he found himself in was one he had never allowed before: a woman in his room overnight. He finessed his beard as he stood over her. She was too stunning to disturb, so instead he dressed himself. He was halfway to the door when he stopped, reaching for the checkbook he kept in his inner jacket pocket. He pulled out a ballpoint Cartier pen and wrote out a check.
$25,000
On the memo line he wrote: It’s too good to be free.
He set it on the nightstand and then made his way out of the room. It wasn’t his first one-night stand and he was sure it wouldn’t be his last, but it for damn sure was his best, one he wouldn’t soon forget.
* * *
Sire sat passenger side in the car. He finessed his lips as he peered out of the window. The city of New York passed them by.
“Man, that bitch won’t shut up. I’ma put something in her mouth, shut her pretty ass up for good.”
Sire looked at the driver. “Why don’t you shut the fuck up and nurse that black eye shawty gave you,” he said. “What the fuck did I tell you niggas? We go in through the back, get the money, keep it quiet, make a clean exit. We dumped a body in that club and got one in the trunk. This shit is messy.”
“We good, bruh. Cameras was disabled and all. Get rid of this bitch and bust this bag down with August and we good. Get out of this stanking-ass city, mane. H-Town ain’t never seemed better, you feel me?” Wasan said as he rifled through the night’s take.
“Bitch had a fat ass though, didn’t she?” the driver chuckled.
“Be quiet and drive,” Sire ordered.
The sound of the screams coming from the trunk gave Sire an instant headache. He was in a whole different state, moving around a concrete jungle that was unfamiliar. Any single little misstep would land him under the jail. These fuckups were intolerable.
They pulled into the alleyway that led to the vacant restaurant.
“Get her out, put her in the freezer,” Sire ordered. “And find out where the fuck August at!”
They popped the trunk and dragged Ashton inside, kicking and still screaming.
“Aye, Wa, what the lick be like?” Sire asked.
“Six hunnid Gs and still counting my nigga,” Wasan said.
“And the deed?” Sire asked.
“Right here,” Wasan answered, handing over the paper.
August entered the building; the sound of his thousand-dollar loafers slapping the floor echoed through the empty two-story structure.
“Broooo! Did you get it?” August asked as he came out of his suit jacket, tossing it on an old wooden chair as he crossed the room. August had been the one to lay out the opportunity for the lick. An influential real estate tycoon had held the deed to a Sinclair boat slip at a New York marina. Senior had lost it in a poker match years ago and had never been able to get it back. It was kept at the safe at Soho House and August was willing to do anything to get it back. By any means necessary. When Sire had brought it to August’s attention that many celebs use Soho House’s safe for jewelry and large amounts of cash, it was a no-brainer to rob it during one of the social house’s most packed nights. The Draft had brought all the heavy hitters to town, so the take had been large. It had been eventful, indeed, but the extracurricular he had picked up during the robbery had elevated the stakes.
“I got more than what I came for. The fucking club manager is leaking in the safe,” Sire said as he handed over the document.
“What the fuck? I said keep it clean!” August shouted.
“That’s not the best part,” Sire said. “Look at this shit, man. What you want me to do with this?” Sire pulled open the meat freezer and Ashton sat in the bottom right corner, shivering violently. Her back was to the wall and her eyes were on the door. She stood to her feet as soon as the door had opened.
“What the fuck are you doing, Sire? I know her.”
“August?” Ashton said, frowning. “August, I swear I won’t say anything.”
“How do you want to handle this? I’m open to all suggestions, but just make sure whatever warranties you take covers a nigga. If you want to be civilized and let shawty go, I can do that too. Money can buy her silence. It’s all the same. Either way, I’m back to H-Town tonight.”
August looked at Sire’s two goons and then down at Ashton.
“I didn’t tell you to kill a high-profile club owner or take a hostage! This wasn’t the plan!” August shouted. “This is your mistake. You fix it. Your money has been wired into the Cayman account.”
August looked at Ashton once more and then stepped closer to Sire.
“Do what you have to do,” he whispered.
He walked out without ever looking back.
Sire turned to Ashton.
“You don’t have to do this,” Ashton said.
Sire closed the freezer door and turned to Wasan and his goon. “Wrap this shit up. Make it quick and painless, then clean it up. I’ll meet y’all at the clear port in three hours.”
Sire looked through the square glass window into the freezer. His guilt pulled at him. He had no problem putting his murder game down, but he had never been the type to touch women and children. Ashton had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and it would cost her everything. She looked up at him and her stare captured him. To his surprise, she wasn’t afraid.
She’s pissed, he thought. It was an odd emotion for a woman in Ashton’s predicament. It was as if she had the power.
He wanted to let her go, but he couldn’t. He had never let a threat walk and today wouldn’t be the day. God forgive me, he thought as he turned away from the freezer, leaving her to face an undeserving fate.
* * *
“Maid service!”
The sound of the electronic key opening the door was the only thing that aroused Sutton from her slumber. She hadn’t slept like that in months; even with her prescription sleeping pills, she found it hard to rest her mind. Disoriented, she sat up. Her body hummed, her pussy swollen as she scrambled out of the bed.
“I need a minute!” she called back.
“Ma’am, the manager is here, we need the room, it’s two hours past checkout,” the maid called back. Sutton wrapped her body in the white sheet and hurried to her handbag. She pulled out her wallet, fumbling to retrieve one of her credit cards. She cracked the room door and slid it to the man.
“Just charge another night,” she snapped. “I’ll stop by the front desk to give you my ID and to sign for it.”
She shut the door before the man could respond. Looking around the empty room, she didn’t quite know how to feel. She had never intended to stay the night but even if she had, she wanted to be the one to wake up and leave first. No signs West was ever there remained. If her body wasn’t humming from the aftershocks of the quaking sex he had put on her, she would wonder if she had dreamt the entire thing. She sat on the edge of the bed and her eyes landed on the check on the nightstand.
“This motherfucker,” Sutton scoffed. She picked it up and shook her head. “He got me fucked up.” She ripped it in half before heading to the shower. If he hadn’t been on her radar before, he was definitely on it now, and Sutton would be the one with the last laugh.
CHAPTER 7
“Have you heard from Ash?” Gadget asked.
“Wasn’t she with you? When I left Soho House, y’all were supposed to be right behind me!” Honor exclaimed.
Luna’s brow furrowed as she dialed Ash’s number one more time. “I mean, we were. She went back in to use the bathroom. I left before her, but she was on her way out.”
“But you don’t know if she actually made it back to the hotel?” Honor shouted. “Bitch, you know the rules. Door to door!”
“She was right behind me
! It shouldn’t have taken her long to use the restroom. She was supposed to come right out. She had to make it back here! She’s probably just hungover,” Luna defended. She stalked over to the front desk. “Excuse me, can I get the key to Ashton LaCroix’s suite? We’re her sisters and she isn’t answering her phone. We just need to do a wellness check.”
“Let me get my manager,” the woman replied, retreating to the office in the back.
Honor hadn’t thought twice about retreating to her room last night; but now that Ashton was MIA, regret lived in her bones.
“And where the hell is Sutty?” Luna asked. “Have you heard from her?”
“She’s on her way back to the hotel. Said she had an early meeting.” Honor’s intuition was telling her something was wrong. She knew Ashton was the youngest, but Ash was trained. Ash knew the rules. Ash knew how to move accordingly. So if their little sister was unreachable, it was because something was awry.
“What kind of meeting did she have on a Sunday morning?” Luna questioned.
The clerk returned. “I can’t give you the key, but I can escort you up,” she explained.
“Let’s wait for Sutty. She’s five minutes away,” Luna said. Honor was too anxious to stand still. She made her way through the lobby and paced the front of the hotel, avoiding the busy pedestrians as her mind worked in overdrive. Anxiety was a motherfucker. All the possibilities played in her head. When Sutton hopped out of the back of a yellow cab, Honor frowned.
“A meeting in last night’s dress?” she asked. “Sounds like a dick appointment to me.”
“Sounds like you need to find you some business,” Sutton fired back. “Why are you policing the entrance to the hotel? And why is Luna blowing me up every five minutes? What’s wrong?”
“It’s Ash. We can’t reach her,” Honor said. “We have the key to her room. We’re about to go up to do a wellness check. Something feels off.”
Sutton stopped walking and her eyes widened, fear lacing them, causing them to prickle. She could feel the sting of worry. She blinked the emotions away, but her stomach knotted. The last time something felt off, they lost their father and Ashton to prison.
“Call her,” Sutton said.
“We have.”
“Again, Honor, call her again,” Sutton ordered.
Sutton pushed into the hotel and hugged Luna.
“We’re ready to go up,” Sutton told the hotel clerk.
The ride up was long, silent, as the steel box carried them up thirty-five floors.
“What if—?”
“Nope,” Sutton interrupted. “We’re not doing that. Just be quiet.”
The girls spilled out into the hallway, following the hotel worker to the door. The chirp of the electronic lock made Honor’s heart skip a beat and she paused at the threshold.
“I’m going to stay out here,” Honor said.
Luna looked back in concern.
“If something’s wrong, I don’t want to see it,” Honor said.
Honor watched her sisters enter the suite and she braced herself for the worst.
“The bed is made. She didn’t sleep here last night,” Sutton said. “Did you check her locations?”
“Her locations aren’t on,” Luna replied.
“Where the hell is our sister?” Honor asked.
* * *
Ashton could hear her phone ringing in her bag and the sound pulled her back from the light she was walking toward. She could barely breathe. She felt like she was choking as she lay on the cold cement floor of that abandoned building. Her entire body hurt. She was clinging to life. Her body was beaten so badly that every breath she took felt like it would be her last. August’s men had left her for dead, but not before having their fun. Rape and murder. That had been their plan, only Ashton didn’t die. A part of her wished she had.
Again, her phone rang. Ashton groaned as she tried her hardest to move. There was blood in her line of sight, and she couldn’t even pick her weight up off the floor. She lay there, trembling violently in a pool of her blood.
She couldn’t move her head, it felt like bones were broken. Her body, in addition to her spirit, was shattered.
She reached one hand out, inching bloody fingers across dirty concrete toward her phone. Her nails were broken from fighting the men off. She could see it, but it felt so far away. It was just out of arm’s reach. The ringing stopped and Ashton sobbed. It felt like a lifeboat was retreating to shore, leaving her out to sea to die.
Ashton’s instincts clicked in suddenly and she turned her head, enduring blinding pain to let blood drain from her mouth. Though she could barely get her jaw to move, she croaked out, “Hey Siri!”
Her voice was too low for the phone to pick it up and she cried.
“God, please,” she whispered and tried again, louder this time. “Hey Siri!”
“Hmm?” the automated voice answered.
Relief flooded her. “Turn on my locations and call Gadget.”
“Your locations are now on. Calling Gadget.”
Ashton sobbed as she waited a few seconds for Siri to place the call. Even if they didn’t make it in time, just knowing her sisters were on the other line brought her comfort. If she died, she wouldn’t die alone.
After a minute, she spoke as loud as she could. “Gadget—” More blood came up, choking her. She couldn’t breathe. She could barely push words out. “Help me.”
“Ash!”
She heard her sister screaming her name through the phone, but she didn’t have the energy to keep her eyes open. Everything went black.
* * *
“Ashton!” Luna shouted. “Ashton!”
“Track that location now, Gadget. I don’t care what you have to hack into. She’s hurt,” Sutton ordered. Honor sat on the edge of the bed. Her legs barely even worked.
They walked out of Ashton’s room, following Gadget back to hers.
“I can hack into the phone company’s database and see which cell tower her phone is pinging off of,” Gadget said, her voice shaking, matching her trembling fingers as she flipped open her laptop. “This is a federal crime, Sutty. If I’m caught—”
“Make sure you’re not,” Sutton interrupted.
Gadget traced the call and squinted in confusion. “Wait a minute—” she whispered. She opened an additional screen. “The tracker we placed on August Sinclair is at this location too. He’s there.” She googled the address, pulling up the street view of the building.
“Something is wrong. We’ve got to go,” Gadget said, urgently. There was no reason for Ashton to be in an abandoned building. Her mind automatically assumed the worst. She slammed her laptop shut and picked up her phone, calling 911.
“You’re calling the police?” Honor asked.
“It’s an abandoned building. Somebody hurt her and left her where nobody would look. She’s in trouble.”
* * *
“Ashton!” Honor shouted as she banged on the front door of the restaurant. “It’s chained! Where are the police!”
“Down the alley! There has to be a back door,” Luna said, leading the way. Sure enough, it was slightly ajar. Sutton barged in first. The boarded windows made the inside dark. They moved through the restaurant searching desperately. Honor felt sick to her stomach as she followed closely behind.
“Ashton!” she shouted once they reached the kitchen.
“Sutton, I think this is blood,” Luna gasped as she came to the freezer door. Honor shook her head. She was sick with worry.
“I can’t go in there. I’ll stay out here,” she said, turning around, eyes burning with tears.
Luna pulled open the commercial freezer.
“Oh my God!” Sutton whispered. Honor heard it in Sutton’s tone of voice. Confirmation. Their sister was inside.
“Ashton!” Sutton shouted. “Honor, get in here now!”
Honor’s feet felt like they were weighted, like someone had tied bricks to them and tossed her in the ocean. When she stepped inside th
e freezer, tears filled her eyes. Ashton lay on the floor, beaten and bloodied, a pool of blood staining the floor beneath her. Her panties were ripped and dangling from one foot. She looked like a mass of blood and hair on the floor.
“Is she breathing?” Honor asked, frantic as she came to her knees in front of Ashton’s body.
“Baby, wake up! Ashton!” Sutton shouted as she pulled Ashton’s body into her lap, covering herself in red. Ashton’s face was swollen and red bruises marked up her skin. Her nails were broken, like she had fought someone off, and the handprints around her neck showed that she had been choked. Ashton looked lifeless. Perhaps she was. Perhaps they were too late to save her. Honor’s heart ached. How could someone do this to their baby sister?
“How did this happen! I left her with you two!” Sutton shouted.
“I don’t know! She was fine when I left the club!” Luna defended.
“We should have never left separately,” Honor said, shaking her head in regret.
The room suddenly became crowded as paramedics rushed in.
“She’s not waking up!” Sutton cried.
EMT workers pushed the sisters out of the way as they began to work on Ashton.
“Wake up, wake up, wake up,” Honor whispered.
Ashton was whisked out of the room on a stretcher and Sutton was right behind her. “Meet me at the hospital!” It was the last thing she said before hopping in the back of the ambulance.
Honor and Luna clung to one another as they watched it drive away.
* * *
The hospital was freezing. Sutton’s clothes were damp from the blood and she shivered as she paced the halls while screaming into the phone.
“He did this to her,” Sutton whispered.
“Who?” Honor asked. “August Sinclair?”
Luna lifted the jacket she had taken from the restaurant. She dug through the pockets until she found her button tracker.
