Damaged Queen (Darkness Within Duet Book 2)

by Sam Crescent

  “Please, I don’t want to cause any trouble.”

  “There’s no trouble at all. You’re going to give me your bags, and we’re going downstairs. You’re getting in the car, and we’re leaving.”

  “Please, I can’t go back there.”

  He chuckled. “You seem to think this is some kind of polite request. There’s no request here, Harper. I’m telling you. You’re going back to Stonewall.” He grabbed her hand, and she cried out.

  “You’re hurting me.”

  “We’ve not even come close to hurting you.”

  She cried out, and as her cell phone rang, he wrapped his fingers around her throat once again.

  He lifted up her cell phone, and she saw it was Ethan.

  “Ethan, who is this? Is this your new little boyfriend?”

  “He has nothing to do with this. He’s innocent,” she said, gasping for breath.

  “Well, let’s see if he wants to have something to do with this. I wonder how much Ethan knows about you. Does he know what those names mean on your back?”

  She cried out as he let her go but only long enough to turn her and to fist a hand in her shirt, twisting it out of his way.

  The tears were coming thick and fast now. Her cell phone stopped ringing. If she knew Ethan, he’d call again.

  Axel slammed her back against the wall. His hand was on her neck, but he wasn’t squeezing this time.

  She knew she’d have bruises from where he touched her. This Axel, she didn’t know him, and he was determined to make her hurt. The pain took her by surprise as he kept on holding her.

  “Do you love him?”

  “Just leave him alone.” Her cell phone started to ring again, and she whimpered. This wasn’t what she wanted. Why was Axel even here?

  “The poor bastard doesn’t even know that you don’t love him. I’ll put him out of his misery.”

  She cried out as he drew a gun and pressed it against her temple.

  The intent was there as he ran it down her face to under her chin.

  “I will kill this motherfucker if you don’t end things now. If you don’t tell him that you’re leaving and want nothing more to do with him.”

  “Please,” she said.

  “I’m not going anywhere. You’ll do as I say or you will hate the consequences. What’s it going to be?”

  Her cell phone stopped ringing, but she knew it would only be a few seconds before it started again.

  Sure enough, it rang again.

  “Wow, this guy is persistent. I imagine he thinks your pussy is made of gold.”

  Taking the cell phone from Axel, she answered it. How she was able to press the tiny button was beyond her. Her hands shook from her fear, and with Axel breathing down her neck, she couldn’t focus.

  “Hello,” she said. Her voice was croaky from Axel’s grip.

  “Harper, baby, you okay? You sound different?”

  “I’m fine. Just … got a cold I think.” She flinched as Axel pressed the gun against her head.

  He’d do it as well.

  “So, I’m thinking you and I should go to that cute little Italian place I saw around the corner from your shop. What do you think?”

  “Actually, Ethan, I … I can’t see you anymore.”

  Ethan burst out laughing. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I don’t love you. I’ve never loved you, and I don’t see this going anywhere. I’m sorry. But I’m leaving your engagement ring in the apartment. Bye, Ethan. I hope you find someone else who deserves you.”

  She turned off her cell phone.

  Axel took it from her, dropping the device to the floor and stamping on it. She heard the plastic crush beneath his foot.

  “Take it off.”

  “Why don’t you leave me alone?”

  “What’s the matter, Harper? Am I playing too rough for you?”

  “This isn’t you.”

  “You don’t know who the hell you’re even dealing with.”

  “I knew you once.”

  “A lifetime ago.”

  “Ten years is not that long.” She didn’t know why she was arguing with him, trying to reach to him, make him remember she wasn’t the enemy.

  You are.

  He slammed his hand against her head, and it took everything in her not to scream. She’d never seen him like this, or at least, his anger was never directed at her.

  “Do you know how many people can die in that time? What can happen? Look at my face, sweetheart. Do you even remember what I looked like before this?”

  “What happened?”

  “None of your business. You’ll find out all in good time.” He grabbed her arm. Just as they got to the door, he glared at her. “Make a sound. Scream. If you draw attention to us, I will make you wish you never made a sound. Anyone who dies from this moment forward, is your fucking fault.”

  She didn’t fight him as he pulled her along, waiting for the elevator.

  It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him about the stairs being faster. As she opened her mouth, the doors pinged, and they stepped into the empty metal cage.

  She took a deep breath, and Axel smirked.

  “You got even hotter,” he said.

  She glanced down at her body. Torn jeans, Ethan’s old faded shirt, and her hair falling around her and messy. She’d not had the time to run a brush through it. She’d gained some weight in the past few months, and her hips and ass had filled out some. She always had large breasts, and that hadn’t changed. Most of the time, she hid her curvy body in jeans and a large shirt, but with Axel pressing against her, no doubt he could feel it.

  “Thanks.”

  “I know Draven’s going to want to fuck you again.”

  “Let me go, Axel. I don’t want to harm any of you.”

  He burst out laughing. “Oh, baby, you couldn’t harm us if you tried.”

  “What happened?”

  “Life happened.” The doors opened up, and she kept with him as he marched out to the waiting car.

  Part of her expected him to dump her in the back of the trunk, but instead, he held the door open.

  “Your carriage awaits.”

  She stepped inside and slid to the far door. She tried the handle, only to find it was already locked.

  “I love that you’re a fighter. It’s going to be so much fun watching you break.”

  “I don’t break.”

  “You’re not as strong as you think you are. That’s okay. You’ll soon learn your place.”

  “And where is my place?” she asked, snapping out each word.

  He smiled.

  “With the scum of the earth, Harper. You deserve to rot in fucking hell.”

  She had nothing to say. His hatred of her shocked her to the core.

  All she did was leave Stonewall to protect them. He clearly didn’t know the truth. What did she expect though? Alan to tell the truth? That bastard needed to weave a tale that made her look like the enemy.

  He’d never tell anyone what he did or what he threatened.

  Rubbing at her temples, she felt the first stirrings of a headache. She had a feeling that in ten hours, her life was never going to be the same again.

  ****

  “None of them are any good,” Draven said, pointing at the line of women. The stench coming off them irritated him as he stood looking at the merchandise.

  “Sir, they are the best on offer.”

  “I bet half of them are already carrying diseases. You need to learn to keep your hands off the merchandise. I see dried cum on their legs. They are filth.” Draven nodded to his man, who raised a gun and shot each woman in turn.

  They were all sick, and besides, it would be a more peaceful ending for them than what this piece of shit pimp had planned.

  “What the fuck, man? They were good women. They sucked cock.”

  “I’m growing increasingly bored with your idea of ‘good women,’ Ralph. Let’s get one thing straight, this is not good.”


  “You’re going to pay for them,” Ralph asked.

  Draven stared at Ralph. He did business with him because he was normally reliable when it came to women who served.

  “You dare to speak to me like that?”

  “Draven, dude, come on. Times are tight.”

  “You think I can make that excuse to my clients. The ones that want fresh pussy three times a year. You think I tell them times are tight. Pussy is hard to come by.”

  Ralph went pale.

  “You’re one of many kinds of men, Ralph, and I grow increasingly bored.”

  “Draven.”

  It was the last word Ralph spoke before his man shot him.

  Draven stared down at the bloody mess on the floor. With the stench of sex, death, and decay in the air, he needed a shower.

  What a total waste of his time.

  “Clean this shit up,” he said, leaving the docks. He went straight to his car, climbing in the back, and checking his messages.

  Axel: I’ve got her. Heading to the house. Be there in ten, maybe sooner.

  Draven kept reading over it.

  There was only one person Axel could possibly have.

  Harper.

  Axel had Harper.

  He held his cell phone so tight that the screen cracked. Dropping the device back into his pocket, he’d have to get rid of it safely. He tended to drop his cell phones in buckets of acid so nothing remained.

  Rubbing at his temple, he wondered what she looked like. Had the ten years of separation been good for her? It wouldn’t matter to him regardless.

  Once he got his hands on her, he was going to kill her.

  Harper Miller had fooled him once, and he’d vowed he’d never give her that kind of power again.

  He watched as the container started to burn. This was the only way to handle the dead bodies.

  Rubbing a finger across his lip, his patience grew shorter as he thought about who was coming to his home in a few short hours. He should have known Axel would find her.

  His father had been the one to keep close tabs on her for the entire five years he’d been alive after she left. Every single time Draven had doubts, Alan was always there, showing him how helpful she was being to the enemy. She supplied girls, doing everything she wanted, and with a smile on her face, looking so fucking happy. When he killed the bastard and took over all the reins, the trail had dried up for a long time. Then, he’d been more concerned with his own businesses. Finding Harper hadn’t been as important as building up his reputation, and dealing with the men and women who felt he wasn’t ready to take over from Alan.

  His driver climbed behind the wheel, and Draven gave him the order to take him back home to Stonewall. Sitting back, he thought about Harper. Even now, after ten years, he was so fucking angry.

  The last time he saw her, she’d been smiling at him, giving him no hint that she intended to run.

  While they’d been trapped in the mall with a lunatic, she’d been running away. He’d been fucking scared. Terrified. Instead of helping Buck, he’d gone to the bathroom to find she’d left.

  If he’d not wasted so much time, things may have been different. His father had told him she’d gone to their enemies, men who wanted to know the inner workings of their world, and had sold their secrets. Then, he’d seen the proof. The way she took random girls as she worked for their enemies, looking so fucking happy with her life away from him. Every time he saw her smiling face in the photographs, he’d wanted to destroy her.

  Cutting off his thoughts, he stared out of the window. What happened, happened. He wasn’t going to change it.

  His driver parked on the driveway, and Draven was already out of the car and heading up to his home. Still no sign of Axel.

  Taking a seat in his sitting room, he poured himself a large whiskey and waited. The cigars his father used to love were locked away in a safe. Draven never smoked them as he hated the taste.

  He drank the entire glass of whiskey and poured himself a second. The time ticked by, and he waited. His patience was wearing a bit thin, but he stayed patient. As with all things in life, patience always paid off.

  Axel’s car sounded in the driveway.

  In a few seconds he’d see Harper for the first time in ten years.

  Sitting back in anticipation, he heard the door open.

  “Oh, Draven. Come out, come out, wherever you are?” Axel yelled for all to hear.

  He didn’t say a word.

  “Let me go.”

  Ah, her voice.

  The fear echoed down the hall. He heard her release a gasp, and seconds later, she appeared in his office, Axel holding her arm.

  She was clearly hurting.

  Draven didn’t say a word.

  He stared. There was no mistaking this was Harper.

  Her raven hair was lush and so much longer, it fell to her waist in ringlets. Her blue eyes shot fire and ice just like always. Her curves were still there.

  If he was to put her up on the auction block, she’d fetch him a fortune. Shame she wasn’t a virgin. He’d have gotten triple for her, but then, he’d taken care of that pesky cherry years ago.

  They stared at each other. The clothes she wore did little to hide the woman beneath.

  Standing up, he took a sip of his whiskey and stepped up to her. The scent of citrus still clung to her. She either used a fragrance or soap. Where once it turned him on, it now offended him.

  It reminded him of a time long ago, and he hated the stench.

  Reaching out, he grabbed her jaw, turning her face to look at him.

  “Draven,” she said. Her words were almost impossible to decipher as he held her still.

  “Hello, Harper. Long time, no see.” He turned her face this way and that. “Completely unharmed.”

  Axel nodded down at her neck.

  Releasing her face, Draven pulled the collar of her shirt away to reveal the bruises.

  “Was she naughty?” Draven asked.

  “She tried to run from me. Thought she could get away.” Axel laughed. “You know, she’s been working for that florist I’ve been banging. Fucking tight pussy and dirty to the core.”

  “She has.”

  “Yes. I guess it was one of those things where we constantly missed each other. Shame, this could have happened months ago.”

  Axel stepped away from Harper, and he heard the sound of glass on glass, pouring himself a drink.

  Harper stood. He saw how awkward she looked. Unsure. Nervous.

  “Look, I can see that you’re pissed.”

  “You think I’m pissed.”

  “What happened ten years ago, I can explain.”

  “You want to explain to me why you betrayed me. Betrayed all of us?”

  “I didn’t betray you.”

  He stared at her. The urge to hit her was strong, but he wasn’t going to. If he started hitting her right now, he wouldn’t stop.

  He had big plans for her.

  “I don’t want to deal with you tonight.”

  Putting his whiskey down on the counter, he grabbed her arm and pulled her along the corridor. He passed men who didn’t even look at him.

  He forced their loyalty, tested them relentlessly. They all knew not to interfere with his dealings. People who came onto his property were always handled by him.

  Draven only employed people who were loyal to him. Those that were loyal, were always handsomely rewarded, and those that weren’t, suffered. He made sure every man and woman were given the option. Those that failed didn’t live to see another day.

  He headed out into the garden, down the steep path, and across the small field.

  “Draven, what are you doing? Please, stop. You’re scaring me.”

  He didn’t let go even as he heard the fear in her voice.

  Ten years ago, he’d have pulled her into his arms, protected her, stopped her from feeling fear or pain, or anything. All fucking four of them would have been there for her. She’d belonged to all o
f them, but she had to go and throw it in his face, in all of their faces.

  Now, he relished her fear, wanted it.

  He wanted her to experience everything he’d felt in the past ten years, but also, what he’d had to deal with after she left.

  “Will you stop and just talk to me?”

  Talking was over.

  He got to the building. This was where they kept the disobedient women that were brought here. A couple of days out here in the winter, and well, some women died because of it, men too.

  Oh, yes, rather than fight the inevitable, he’d expanded into men but taken kids off the menu. He had some morals still at least.

  Harper fought him, trying to pry his fingers from around her wrist. Draven held her tightly and pulled her down into the cells.

  Opening one up, he threw her inside and locked the door. Harper cried out as she landed on the hard ground. He held the bars of her cell tightly, staring down at her. She looked so small, so fragile, breakable.

  Draven intended to break her. He was going to hurt her. This was just the beginning.

  She got up, and the sound of a rat scurrying echoed in the small space. She turned her head, and he saw the tears fall down her cheeks. She looked pretty when she cried.

  “What happened to you?” she asked.

  He smiled. “What happened to me?”

  “You heard me.”

  “Nothing happened to me, Harper. I grew up. I saw that there was no point in fighting this. Fighting who I am.”

  She stepped toward the cage, and he saw she limped.

  “Who you are?”

  He smiled at her.

  “You’ve become the exact monster your father wanted.”

  “You want to talk about my father?”

  “Where is he? Is he laughing right now? Joyous in knowing he got what he wanted.”

  Draven smiled again. “My father is dead.”

  “Oh,” Harper said.

  “Yes, I killed him.”

  She swallowed and looked away.

  “What’s the matter, Harper? Can’t handle it?”

  “You killed your own father and yet you’ve let mine live?” she asked.

  “Oh, yes, you see, my father betrayed me. He didn’t like that not only did I take this place, and expand, I moved him from the top. When I decided to help him, to make all of this mine, my end game wasn’t the same as his. I’m a fucking king, and there’s no way I’d work to put someone else in my place. I don’t follow. I lead.”