Filed to story: The LORDS Series Free PDF by Shantel Tessier
“I’ll do whatever it takes,” I reassure him, and he pats my thigh.
Bill pulls his hand back just as both front doors open. Kashton hops in the passenger seat while Saint takes the driver’s side. The door on my right opens, and Adam jumps in, smashing me between him and Bill. His eyes drop to my shaking legs and then my eyes.
I look ahead and try to even my breathing out. Getting myself worked up won’t do any good. My mom will smell my fear.
We pull up to an airfield that’s close to Carnage, and a private jet awaits us and another car. The front and back doors open, and four men jump out. They begin talking to Tyson, who gets out of the car following us with Sin and Ryat.
Bill gets out, and I go to follow, but I’m grabbed and jerked through the opposite door. Then I’m pushed up against the side of the SUV. A hand wraps around my throat, pinning me in place as Adam presses his hard body into mine. Lowering his lips to my ear, he whispers, “Don’t leave my fucking side, princess. I don’t trust him; do you understand me?”
“Everything okay?” Bill calls out.
Adam drops his hand from my neck and steps back. We both look over to see everyone standing on the tarmac staring at us.
“Yeah,” I say to Bill, trying to give him a reassuring smile. Then I look at Adam and nod. “Yeah.” I’m hoping he understands I’m answering his question.
Adam grabs my hand and yanks me from the SUV and pulls me toward the plane.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re in love with your friend’s wife.” Bill speaks as we walk by him.
“You don’t know shit.” Adam snorts.
SEVENTY-NINE
CHARLOTTE
I’ve never been surrounded by so many Lords at once in such a tight space. I mean, the jet is huge, but the last time I was with this many was during my initiation at the cathedral.
Not to bring any attention to myself, I sit quietly next to Adam, listening to them go over their options. Tyson’s men brought plans to a place they keep referencing as Dollhouse. I’ve never heard of it other than that one time Haidyn asked me about it.
They think my mom runs it, and I want to argue, but the fact that Bill has remained quiet has me keeping my mouth shut. It’s obvious he knows more than me. I’ll just add it to the list of things my mother has been lying to me about.
“What if he’s not there?” Sin asks. “If we need to, we can split up and hit another place at the same time,” he offers.
“He’s there,” Bill assures him. “She wanted him. This is the only place she’d be able to keep him without my knowledge.”
Saint snorts. “Then how are you so sure?”
“I have someone on the inside. I couldn’t prove it or risk going to you all until I got the confirmation this morning. They informed me she’s keeping him in the dungeon. Total isolation and drugged.”
A dungeon? My mother has one of those? Fuck, even Carnage just calls it their basement. And drugs? What kind of drugs could my mother have access to? A sickening feeling makes my stomach roil.
“Same thing she did to him during our ‘training.’ Fuck, I hate that goddamn bitch.” Saint hisses.
Training? What are they talking about training? Since when do Lords go through that? The video comes to mind that I’ve been sent where he’s strung up, bleeding and being tortured. The one where they waterboarded him…was my mom the she they were referring to?
“I hate to be a Negative Nancy here…” one of Tyson’s men speaks. I remember him introducing himself to Bill as Colton before we boarded the plane. When Bill asked him if they were able to get access to the plans of the address, he had given them. “But what if he’s dead?”
I slap my hand over my mouth to keep in a sob at that thought, and Adam grabs my other one, giving it a firm squeeze.
Kashton bends over, dropping his head between his legs as his hands come up and interlock at the back of his neck.
“Doesn’t matter…” Saint says, shaking his head.
“Colt isn’t wrong…” Another by the name of Alex starts. “What if you guys are willingly walking into a fucking trap. You”-he points at Adam-“have been MIA for four years. Benny didn’t get to execute whatever fucked-up plan he had for you guys, but this is the perfect opportunity to get you all four in one spot and…”
“It doesn’t fucking matter,” Kashton yells, jumping to his feet. “Like Saint said, it doesn’t matter if Haidyn is dead or alive.” He lowers his voice. “We know the odds. And either way, we bring our brother home…where he belongs.” With that, the plane falls silent. Kashton walks over to a minibar, opens a tiny bottle of vodka, and downs it.
Bring our brother home…the thought of burying him has the bile rising once again, and I jump to my feet.
“Charlotte?” Adam calls out to me.
I ignore him and run to the back of the plane, shoving what I’m hoping is the bathroom door open just in time to throw up into a toilet. I can’t stop. Tears run down my cheeks as I hover over, trying to hold my hair back until someone else grabs it for me. When I’m done, they flush it and help me back out of the tight space.
I fall into a seat at the back of the plane and bury my face into my hands, unable to stop crying. He’s been there for eight days now. There’s no telling what he’s been through in that amount of time. How many times have they killed him and brought him back like they did when waterboarding him? And how much can his body take until it gives up?
“Here you go,” Kashton says.
I look up through tear-filled eyes to see him holding out a glass of water to me, but when I go to reach for it, Adam takes it from Kashton and turns, tossing it into the bathroom sink.
“I didn’t poison it,” Kashton growls at Adam as he comes back to stand next to me.
“Are you pregnant?”
Everyone looks toward the front of the plane when Devin asks. He turns to look at his twin brother who sits next to him. “Did you run a test because I didn’t think of it.”
Gavin shakes his head. “There was no need. I administered the shot per Haidyn’s request. She’s not due for another one yet.”
Devin nods in understanding, and everyone goes back to their previous conversations, and I catch sight of Bill. His eyes drop to my stomach as if he thinks otherwise, and I jump up, pushing Adam out of my way, and return to the bathroom.
“I’ll grab her another water,” Kashton offers over my dry heaving.
Bill was right; it was a quick flight. It seemed by the time we were up in the air, we were already descending. Adam takes my hand and leads me to the front of the plane. We’re the last to get off. We walk down the stairs, and the warm night air hits my face.
Several blacked-out vehicles are parked on the tarmac, and all the Lords stand around going over last-minute plans.
I’m not sure what they will do, but I keep telling myself that if anyone can save my husband, it’s these men. They didn’t get to where they are because they’re weak or afraid.
They’re all ruthless and the best at what they do. And nothing will stop them. I’d put all my trust into one Lord-I like Haidyn’s odds with eight of them, plus Tyson’s four men. These twelve men are going to rescue my husband. All I can do is hope that he’s still alive.
“Load up,” Adam barks, making me jump.
He takes my hand again and pulls me to a black Cadillac SUV when my other hand is grabbed. “She needs to ride with me,” Bill says, pulling me away from Adam.
“I don’t fucking think so.”
Bill stops, and we both turn around. I expected it to be Adam who protested, but to my surprise, it’s Kashton who spoke. He steps forward, grabbing my upper arm and pulls me into him. They’re ripping my fucking arm off.
Bill walks toward us, but he stops when Saint and Adam surround Kashton and me. Even Sin, Tyson, and Ryat step closer to us.
“We don’t have time for this,” Bill growls. “My wife doesn’t expect Charlotte to walk right in on her own because Charlotte doesn’t even know this place exists. She needs to come in with me through the main entrance while you guys go in the back.”
“You said you’re not supposed to know where it is,” Saint argues.
Bill sighs. “She contacted me today, and she knows that I’m bringing her.”
“I’m not letting her go with you.” Kashton shakes his head and then drops his gaze to me. “I don’t fucking like you, but my brother married you.” He looks away, and his jaw clenches before they return to mine. “He chose me to be your guardian, and because of that, I will protect you.”