Filed to story: The LORDS Series Free PDF by Shantel Tessier
The Lord slaps the man hanging on the back, and it causes him to spin around in the chains. I see there are more of those white sticky pads on his back as well, but that’s not all. There are also red marks that cover his tan skin. He’s been whipped.
“Why?” I face her once more and demand. “Why are you making me watch this? Why did you want to even see me?”
She gives me a soft smile. “This is a reminder, Ashtyn, from the Spade brothers.” She means the fathers. “That you are a guest here, and it will be best to remember that.”
I look at the glass, and the guy in the Lords mask turns off the white patches, and the shirtless man hangs in the cuffs connected to the chains. “Until next session,” he states before walking over to the door. He shuts off the light, bathing the room in darkness before he exits.
* * *
I return to Saint’s room, get undressed, and crawl into bed, whimpering at the sting of my brand. The last pain pill Saint gave me has officially worn off. Or maybe it’s because of what I just saw. I hate knowing the man still hangs in the dark, probably terrified.
How long will they play with him before they kill him?
It makes me think of my brother. What he’s seen or had to do to people here. Is that why he ran? Was he really set up by the Lords? Or did he do what he was accused of?
I’m not saying that Saint, Haidyn, or Kashton are innocent. I’ve seen what they do here, and it’s terrifying. But they have no choice, right?
Their fathers wanted to give me a message today. One that I can’t ignore. I get it. I’m only safe because of Saint, Haidyn and Kashton. They think I have something with all three of them. Don’t I? I love all three of them but in different ways.
The sound of the door opening has me sitting up. I flinch at the sudden movement, the bandage pulling on the edges of my branding.
“Hey, you okay?”
I look up to see it was Saint who entered. I’m on edge. Afraid now that his father will come and get me for another “session.” “Where have you been?” I ask, tears starting to sting my eyes.
“House of Lords. We had a meeting this morning.” He comes to sit down next to me. “I’m sorry, you were sound asleep. I didn’t want to wake you.”
“It’s fine.” I wave him off. A part of me thought he was hanging in the basement. The man looked familiar even though I couldn’t see his face, and the mind likes to play tricks on you.
“Here.” He gets up and walks over to his nightstand. Opening up the top drawer, he pulls out the pills and pops the top. “Take one of these and get some rest.”
I greedily take them when he offers me the bottle of water that sits on my breakfast cart. I hope it makes me pass out.
“Good girl.” He leans in and gently kisses my forehead. “I’m going to take a quick shower.”
“Then you’ll lie down with me?” I ask, needing him right now. Even after everything he’s done to me, I feel safe with him.
“Of course,” he assures me.
I lie down and snuggle into his pillow when his cell rings. “Hey, man…yeah, I’ve tried calling him twice. He hasn’t called me back yet…yeah, probably.”
“What was that about?” I ask.
Saint plugs his cell phone on his nightstand and looks at me while pulling his shirt up and over his head, exposing his chiseled abs. “That was Kashton. He wanted to know if I’ve heard from Haidyn.”
I yawn. “Why?”
“He was the only one who missed the meeting this morning.” With that, he turns and walks into the bathroom.
I yawn again and close my eyes. But they spring open the moment what he said registers in my brain. I sit back up, my heart racing, when I hear his shower start. Was that Haidyn hanging in the room? Surely not? Why would they torture Haidyn? Why would his father allow that?
Snorting, I remind myself that it’s common for fathers not to care about their children. “Saint?” I call out. “Saint?” I do it again.
I have to tell him what I saw. If it’s Haidyn, I can’t leave him down there hanging in the dark. All alone. Saint can help him, right?
“What’s wrong?” He comes running into his room, no towel and dripping wet. He had already gotten in the shower. His cell beeps, signaling a text.
“I…”
“One sec.” He interrupts me picking it up. After typing out a message, he sets it back down. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. It was Haidyn. What do you need?”
It was Haidyn? I look at his phone and then back up at him. “Nothing.” I breathe a sigh of relief. My mind is playing tricks on me. Of course it wasn’t Haidyn. I’m paranoid.
“You sure?” he asks, water dripping onto his floor.
“Yeah.” I lie back down.
He turns and walks back into the bathroom, leaving the door open in case I need him. When I hear the shower door open and shut, I lean over and pick up his cell. I check current messages and see Haidyn’s text. I open it up.
Sorry slept in. What’d I miss at the meeting?
SAINT
I left Ashtyn in my bed, needing to talk to my father. She’s been here two weeks, and I can see her going stir-crazy. She’s always been one to get out and go places. She’s not a homebody, and there has to be something that can be done.
Just yesterday, she asked me about finishing her classes online for Barrington. I hated to tell her that she will no longer get to graduate. To the world, she’s dead. I can’t change that. No matter how much I want to.
After she fell asleep last night in my arms, I thought about it. And I wouldn’t change it even if I could. If whoever is after her thinks she’s dead, then they can’t hurt her.
Stepping off the elevator, I come up to his office door but pause when I hear his voice on the other side of it. “What do you suggest I do?” He sounds irritated.
I don’t blame him. One of his brothers is missing. Our fathers are as close as me, Kash, Haidyn, and Adam. Although I’m pissed off at Adam right now because he left the love of my life behind to die for his sins. There’s still no word on her father or Adam. At this point, I don’t expect either one to show up at the gates of Carnage in one piece.
“I have connections.” I hear a woman’s voice answer, and my hand tightens on the doorknob, recognizing it. “There’s a facility…”
“No,” he growls, interrupting her. “Saint will never agree to that.” I almost smile that he thought of me. He doesn’t give a fuck about her. But he doesn’t want to piss me off. Last time I spoke with him in his office after he found I was hiding her in my room, he told me I could have her. Of course I didn’t give him much of an option.
She snorts. “You’re in charge here. Not Saint.”
“It’s complicated,” he states.
“Look…” She sighs. “I’m not trying to harm her.”
My jaw clenches at the lie. I know what she’s done and what the bitch is capable of. I put nothing past her.
“I can prescribe her medication. Place orders to keep her so high that she won’t even realize where she’s at…what’s going on. She will be in a safe place under twenty-four-hour supervision. You’ll have full access to her. And if Altus shows up…”
“I don’t know,” he says conflicted.
“Abso-fucking-lutely not!” I shove the door open, and it slams against the interior wall.
My father jumps up from his seat, and she spins around to face me. Face tight. “Saint-“
“You touch her, and I’ll slit your fucking throat.” I interrupt whatever bullshit she was about to spew.
She gasps and looks at my father. “You’re going to let him speak to me like that?”