Filed to story: The LORDS Series Free PDF by Shantel Tessier
Sitting up, I run my hand over my face and groan at the pounding headache I have from going out last night.
“You okay?” A hand gently rubs my back, and I nod.
“Yeah.” My mouth is dry, and my tongue is heavy. My eyes feel crusty, and my hair is a tangled mess. I went to Blackout last night and got hammered. My mind has been fucking mush since I ran out of the basement at Carnage a week ago. I hate how often I looked around, hoping to see Haidyn there.
Getting out of bed, I manage to make my way to the bathroom and look at myself in the mirror. I’m still wearing my makeup from last night, but it’s smeared across my cheeks.
Turning on the sink, I splash my face and decide that only a shower can fix this hungover disaster. I turn on the water and step inside. Falling to my ass, I sit under the sprayer and let the hot water rain down on me.
The door opens, and Wesley smiles at me. “Here, you need to drink something.” He places a bottle of water in the corner so the shower doesn’t hit it.
I thank him, and he closes the door, so the steam fills the large space. After I spilled my drink on him the first night we met at Blackout, he got my number and asked me to dinner the next day. We’ve been seeing each other ever since. I wish I really liked him, but it’s just part of the job. And I pray to whatever God might exist that the Lords don’t forget what I’m doing.
It’s happened before or so I’ve heard. The Lords are a large secret society, and no one knows who is really in charge. It’s not like there’s a 1-800 number that you can call to reach an operator.
Sure, I have an Apple watch, cell, and laptop, but I’m not reaching out to them. I’ll continue to wait to see what directions they give me.
“Your mother just called. We’ve got lunch with her today,” Wesley calls out.
“We?” I ask.
He opens the door once more and smiles at me. “Yeah, I figured I’d go with you. You don’t mind, do you? If so…I don’t have to go.”
“No. It sounds great.” Just what I want. My mother to see me hungover.
His smile grows. “I told her noon would be best. That gives you plenty of time to shower and get ready.”
“Sounds great,” I tell him, and he shuts the door.
I lean my head against the cool wall. He’s a good guy, but I like my space. It’s hard enough to be someone else when with Haidyn. But having to continue that on a day-to-day basis twenty-four seven is so draining.
My mother knows what I’m doing, and that Wesley is my fake boyfriend. It’s not uncommon for the parents of the Lords to know what their sons are required to do for initiations or assignments. I’m really close with my mother and tell her everything. And it’s nice to have someone in your corner, wanting you to succeed.
At twelve o’clock sharp, I pull up to my mother’s house. My father bought it for her back when she was his chosen. He proposed to her that same day in the backyard. After my father died, my mother was regifted, and my stepfather moved in. He didn’t have any kids, and my mother wanted to remain in the house where I grew up. William was nice enough to accommodate her wishes.
Turning off my SUV, we get out and make our way inside. I’ve taken two painkillers and downed a bottle of water and a handful of crackers. I also put more makeup on than usual to cover up the dark circles under my eyes. She’ll still notice, though.
Entering the house, I call out for her. “Mom?”
“Hello, darling.” She walks into the foyer, her Louboutins clicking on the white marble floor.
Wesley knows that my family is wealthy. He just doesn’t know the truth of how they acquired it. He thinks my mom married into money, and I’ve never corrected him. It doesn’t matter, and he can judge her all he wants. It’ll still be better than telling him about the Lords.
His father has money, and his mother was a gold-digging whore-his words-who left his father when Wesley was three. She got the summer villa along with twelve million. The only thing she didn’t want…was Wesley. His father raised him and has gone through several marriages since. But he learned his lesson when it came to prenups.
“Hey, Mom.” I hug her as she approaches me.
Pulling back, she frowns, looking over my face. “Darling, you have to start getting more sleep,” she scolds me with a smile.
I step to the side, and Wesley gives her a kiss on her cheek, telling her how pretty she looks today. She’s always done up and looking her best.
“Where’s William?” I ask. He always greets me when I come home.
“He had to leave town this morning.” She gives me a smile. “He received a work call last night.”
I nod. The Lords. This is why I could never have a relationship outside of the society. Not like they would allow it anyway. I’d be choosing to walk away, and I’m too deep at this point. The only way out is death.
“I’m going to use the restroom,” Wesley announces before he walks down the hallway and into one of the many guest bathrooms.
“Come on, darling. You need to get some food in you. Help that hangover.”
I follow her into the formal dining room to see her staff has already set the table. I sit down and wait for Wesley to join us. My mother likes him. She thinks he’s a good filler. And that you must do what must be done to get where you want to be in life. And my mother wants nothing more in this life than for me to get ahead with the Lords. Not many women get the chance like I’m getting, and I refuse to let her down.
SIXTEEN
HAIDYN
Iwake up, my head foggy and my eyes heavy. Last I remember I was tied to a cold table, and Devin was injecting adrenaline into my chest. Then he was cutting the bullet out of my chest. I blink, and the room comes into focus. I try to move and can’t. “Ashtyn?” I ask, my voice cracking. I clear my throat. “Ashtyn?”
A hand slaps over my mouth, and I can’t even fight them. At this point, I hope they just stab me to death. My body has given up.
“Shh.” A set of green eyes look down into mine, and I sigh at the familiar face.
It’s Adam.
He removes his hand, and I look around to see I’m in a hospital room back at Carnage. How long have I been out? Where did the guys go who kidnapped me and Ashtyn? “I??”
“Shut the fuck up, Haidyn,” Adam whispers harshly while he’s over at the counter.
My eyes do a quick scan to see he’s dressed in all black with a bulletproof vest on. A black mask sits on the counter as well.
“Where is Ashtyn?” I ask, needing to know.
“She’s…back here at Carnage,” he says, and I don’t like the way he says it.
“What do you mean back?”
He turns to face me with a syringe in his hand. “Listen, I don’t have a lot of time. Do you want to help her or not?”
I nod. “Of course.”
Walking over to the door, he opens it, and I see Gavin enter. They exchange a look that makes my pulse pick up. What the fuck have I missed? How long have I been out?
Gavin comes over to the bed and starts putting cold sticky pieces of tape on my chest and connecting wires to them. “You’re going to have to appear dead, Haidyn. But I’m going to bring you back.”
I blink, my eyes heavy, but I manage to nod. “O-kay.” Licking my busted lips, I add, “Do what you have to do.”
Adam looks at Gavin and nods. “See you on the other side, brother.” He places the needle into the lead in my IV, and my body instantly feels cold. My heart slows, and I feel like I’ve been paralyzed before everything goes black.
I sit straight up, gasping for air. One hand goes to my chest, the other to cover my face. “Fuck,” I groan at the lingering pain from the bullet I took after the wreck.
“Can I get you anything, Sir?”
I drop my hands and look up at the flight attendant. She’s staring down at me with a soft smile on her face.
“No, thanks,” I answer, and she looks like she wants to ask again, but instead nods and makes her way to the back of the private jet.