Filed to story: The LORDS Series Free PDF by Shantel Tessier
“She was Charlotte’s initiation.”
I shake my head. “No. Charlotte would never??”
“She didn’t know.” Adam interrupts me. “It’s not Charlotte’s fault what happened. Hell, every single one of us have done what the Lords wanted with no questions asked.”
“What happened to her?” Saint asks. I haven’t filled them in on what all Charlotte did. They know of an initiation and an assignment but I left out the details. “What was cut from her upper back?”
“Lords brand,” Adam answers.
“What’s on her inner thigh? What does it say?” Saint lifts it closer to his face to read it.
“It’s a barcode. All slaves at Dollhouse have them,” Bill answers.
“Did you brand her when she was your chosen?” Kashton asks.
Adam shakes his head. “Wasn’t me.”
“Why would she have the Lords crest?” Kash inquires.
“I don’t know the story. I can only guess. You and Haidyn were forced to kill your chosens, I was already gone. Ash was on the run, but technically, she was already Saint’s Lady by that time. So I think they had our chosens taken out.”
“Have anything you want to tell us?” I bark at Bill. “What do you know about the brand and barcode?” My wife was branded for initiation. Maybe Adam’s chosen was from a founder? No. That can’t be because they would have made her a breeder, not killed her at such a young age.
Bill shakes his head, and I fist my hands. “I told you; my wife kept me in the dark.”
“Forgive me that I don’t believe you,” I snap.
“When was the last time you saw her?” Kash continues, staring at Adam’s chosen in the photo.
“It’s been a while,” Adam answers vaguely.
I let out a long breath. “So you’re saying that my wife killed an innocent woman.” I thought that it was weird that Charlotte even had an initiation to begin with. And that it didn’t make sense that she removed her brand and then had Charlotte kill her. I thought it had more to do with Charlotte than the mystery woman.
“Yeah.”
“I shot her,” she says softly. “And every time I close my eyes, I see her.”
“Charlotte can never know about this,” I tell him, and they all nod. This will destroy her. She did what she thought needed to be done.
Bill looks at me. “You had a deal with Isabella.”
“You had a deal with her?” Saint barks.
“What the fuck, Haidyn?” Kashton snaps. “For how long?”
Bill raises his hands to both of them.
I keep my attention on him. “I did.” My eyes slide to Adam for a brief second, and he sighs heavily.
It was right after we finished training, and she showed up unannounced at my house and gave me the ultimatum-me or Adam. I gave her me. It only lasted for a couple of years. She’d come over, and I’d fuck her. It took everything in me not to kill her. But the Lords already thought I killed our fathers, so if I killed her, I was afraid they would send someone new to Carnage to put my brothers through hell, and I wouldn’t do that to them. Not again. Now I realize she came up with a better plan-Charlotte. “What about it?”
“Her ‘death’ means that deal is now void. She kept her word.” I snort at that because that’s the only one she’s ever kept. “That’s why Adam had to fake his death. It didn’t need to be a big show. Just one that was believable.”
“I’ll make a new one,” I say. “I’ll talk to the Lords.”
“No.” Adam shakes his head. “You’ve done enough for everyone else, Haidyn. I’ve made my own deal this time.”
The plane falls silent. No one dares to ask what he’s done, but we all know the answer is sitting right in front of us. He went to Bill and offered up something he couldn’t refuse.
I run a hand through my hair.
“What’s Dollhouse have to do with you?” Kash asks Adam. “If you guys didn’t know where it was, then how can the Lords connect it to you?”
“They can’t necessarily. But the Lords got wind that I’m not ‘missing’ like I’ve been pretending to be for the past four years. So we had to do something…” Adam adds, gesturing to shoot himself in the head.
“How do we know that you weren’t the one to rat him out?” Saint asks Bill.
“You don’t,” he answers.
Adam shakes his head. “He didn’t.” He assures us.
“And Sin?” Kash asks. “What about his assignment?”
Adam nods. “That’s another reason we have to keep quiet about my existence. Sin knows I’m not dead…”
“Now I feel bad for beating the shit out of him,” Kash mumbles. “FUCK!”
“It was for show.” Saint gives a humorless laugh. He sounds as tired as I feel. “You guys set us up.”
“We had very little time and very limited options.” Adam doesn’t agree or disagree. Or elaborate on how he managed to get a body and make it look like him. “I’m trying to do the right thing. The one thing I couldn’t do for Ash…” Adam trails off. “I just…wanted you guys to know that I’m still here.”
Kashton gets to his feet and walks over to Adam who also stands. He slaps his back, hugging him again. “You’re still my brother, no matter what you do or where you live. And you’ll always have a room ready at Carnage if you ever want to come home.”
“Thanks, man.” Adam smiles, pulling away. “You can’t get rid of me that easy,” he jokes.
I stand and dig into my pocket, removing my keys. I pull the one off the ring and hold it out to him. “Here.”
“No…”
“Take it. I bought that house for you. It’s always been yours.”
He takes it and pulls me in for a hug. I hate that we’ve ended up where we are, but I’m proud of Adam standing up for what he believes in. A lot of men we know would never do that. Especially against the Lords. Once you have a target on your back, it’s hard to avoid it. This could be the last time we ever see him.
“Thank you.” He places it in his pocket.
Saint stands and turns to face him. “Don’t get yourself killed,” he says.
Adam laughs. “That’s the only plan I have.” Saint pulls him in for a hug.
“Here. This is for you.” Bill hands me another manila envelope, and I take a second before I open it. What else could he possibly have for me tonight? Removing the contents inside, I look over the picture of the man and then back at Bill arching a brow.
“What happened to him?” he asks, and I have a feeling he already knows.
“I killed him.”
Bill looks over at the detective, who snorts and mumbles, “Fucking Lords.”
“Why does it matter?” I inquire.
“We think he was working with my wife,” Bill answers. “Isabella owns the spa that she had Charlotte going to.”
“Son of a bitch,” I hiss. The fucking bitch was running everything in Charlotte’s life. But it makes sense. That’s how Isabella was able to control the contents that went into her daughter’s IVs. It also explains how Bill was able to change one out to counteract the birth control.
“Who is this and why did you kill him?” Kash asks, taking the envelope from me.
“He was a massage therapist who rubbed on my wife,” I growl. “I made it quick.” If that makes it any better.
“We think she was using the spa to pick women for Dollhouse.” The detective states, nodding to the envelope Kash hands to Saint. “We had surveillance on the place, trying to get answers, and you killed one of our main suspects.”
I sit back crossing my arms over my chest. He’s not going to get an apology from me. I wanted the bastard dead because he had his hands on my wife. I know it was a little over the top, but I sure as fuck don’t regret it. Now I wish I had made it slow and painful.
The detective sighs at my silence before Adam speaks. “Okay, let’s talk business.”
“Business?” I ask, arching a brow. “What kind of business?”
His boss leans back in the seat, placing his left ankle on his right knee, and speaks. “We’re going to need your help.” Then he looks over at Bill, who nods.
Saint beats Kash and me to it. “Name it.”
On the way home, there is nothing but awkward silence. We all wore our helmets so we could communicate, but none had anything to say. It was all said on the jet that we flew around on for over an hour.
Saint and I exit the highway, and Saint’s voice fills my ears when we both see Kashton isn’t following us.
“Kash-?”
“I’ve got somewhere to be.” He interrupts Saint, pulling his front tire up off the pavement and riding off in a wheelie.
“Fuck.” Saint sighs, his helmet shaking.
I understand we all have a lot to think about, and he needs some time alone.
Pulling into Carnage, Saint and I park the bikes in the garage and make our way to the birdcage. As we step off the elevator, he speaks. “Are you leaving in the morning?”
I turn to look at him, my hand on the door. “I’ll see you in the office. Seven o’clock.”
“Seven o’clock.” He agrees and goes to enter his room but pauses. Taking in a deep breath, his eyes meet mine. “They were going to force you to marry Ashtyn.” It wasn’t a question, so I don’t say anything. “Were they going to use her or me?”
It doesn’t matter. “Saint??”
“Me.” He nods to himself, answering his own question. “Of course. If they knew how much she loved me, they would have used that against her to make her comply. Just like Isabella was going to use Charlotte’s love for you against her at Dollhouse.”
It makes sense. Isabella knew our fathers’ plan-whatever it was-so she decided to use some form of it. She had four years to come up with hers, though. “I would have never let it get that far,” I assure him. “I would have done something…anything…before I would have let them force Ashtyn to be my wife.”
“Good night, brother,” he says, and before I can say the same, he’s entered his room.
I enter mine just as quietly as when I left. I’m removing my shirt when the bedside light turns on. I spin around to see my wife sitting up, arms crossed over her naked chest and narrowed eyes on mine.
“Where have you been?” she demands as if she just caught me cheating on her.
I take a minute to try to come up with an answer. I hadn’t thought this was what I would come home to.
“I saw the text earlier while you were in the shower, Haidyn.” Her eyes lower to the comforter, and she uncrosses her arms. “Are you in trouble?”