My chest tightens.
“She loves you and you’ve ruined her.”
“What do you think I’m doing?” I snap, unable to stay quiet. “Huh? I’m trying to keep her alive.”
He sets her down on her feet again. “By killing her?” she snaps. “God, Sin, just let her go.” She begins to cry. “Let her be with Chance.” Over my dead body. “Let her have a life without you. All you do is hurt her. Lie to her. Cheat on her.”
“I’ve never cheated on her,” I growl, not listening to that bullshit again.
“We saw you!” She’s screaming so loud it’s hurting my ears. I’ve never seen my sister this distraught before. Since I left Elli passed out in our bed, I’ve been worried about the state of mind I put her in. I’m doing what has to be done, doesn’t matter if I agree with it or not. I’ve got to prove myself. “Amelia showed us the video in the bathroom,” she goes on.
I look over at Chance and he shakes his head, not understanding either. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I argue.
“Quit fucking lying to me! I’m not going to believe your bullshit anymore. We saw you and Amelia in your room at the house of Lords. We watched her get undressed, crawl into your bed and then you tied her down …” She pauses to catch her breath.
“And what?” I demand, my heart picking up at what she’s describing.
“Elli knocked the phone out of Amelia’s hand, obviously done watching her boyfriend cheat on her.” She huffs. “But it was clear, Easton. You’re a lying, cheating piece of shit.” She rushes me again, but Corbin reaches out and grabs a hold of her hair, yanking her back.
“Babe, calm down,” he growls, holding her in place while she fights his hold.
“And you told her about James and Lincoln,” she goes on. “Why? To make yourself feel better? You’re no better than them. Taking advantage of her.”
My jaw clenches. “This conversation is over,” I growl, hearing enough.
Corbin picks her feet up off the floor and spins around, dragging her out of my room kicking and screaming. Normally, I’d be concerned where he’s taking her, but right now, I don’t care.
“How the fuck does she know all of that?” I ask myself.
“Amelia,” Chance answers.
“How the fuck did she know?” I narrow my eyes on him.
He raises his hands. “I haven’t told that bitch shit.”
“That only leaves one other person.”
_______________
IT’S BEEN TWO days since my sister barged into my room and I still have no clue what’s going on. I can’t ask Amelia because then she’ll know that I know. I’d rather keep her in the dark as much as possible. She’s obviously talking and the less she’s aware that I know, the better.
Entering my father’s home study, I see him sitting at his desk. “Got a second?” I ask.
“Have a seat.” He gestures to the chair across from his desk.
I fall into it. “If this is about your wedding—”
“It’s not,” I interrupt him.
He nods, sitting back and getting comfortable. “What do you need?”
“What do you know about Carnage?” I ask.
His body stiffens, eyes narrowing for a brief second before he masks it. But he avoids my question. “I know that you need to stay away from there.”
“Why? Because of the Spade brothers?” I go on and he sighs. They refused to give me any information the other day. But I’m not going to give up so easily. My future with Elli is on the line. And I’ll do anything to save it.
“They’re not blood related,” he states. “They’re called brothers because like you and me, they took an oath to one another. They share everything.”
“What’s their secret?” I wonder.
He arches a brow. “Secret?”
“Why them? They’re Lords, right?” I can’t figure out how they ended up there. Of course, Lords are like anything else in the world. Some are richer than others. Some are smarter, more ruthless. How did they get control of a fucking city? Carnage covers hundreds of thousands of acres in the middle of nowhere tucked back in the mountains. All surrounded by barbed wire fence taller than any man could get over. Only has one entrance and exit that I’ve seen so far.
My father’s jaw sharpens as he turns his head to look away for a second. I know more than he wants me to. Is it supposed to be a secret that they are one of us?
“How did they end up there?” I continue to dig at his silence.
“End up there?” He gives a rough laugh, eyes now back on mine. “Son, they are Carnage. They run that place like it’s hell itself. They may be Lords, but they don’t think like us. They don’t handle things like us. They can’t function out in the world like you and me. They’re trained differently. Their initiations were different. Everything about them is different.”
“You make them sound like machines.” I snort. “Everyone has a weakness.” Elli is mine. The fact that I’m digging around proves it, but I can’t let anyone know. The Lords will use it against me. They will take what you love and ruin it just because they can.
He tilts his head to the side, confused by my question.
“You saying they’ve never been in love?” Impossible.
He cracks a smile. “There’s always a woman. I can’t say love was involved, though.”
“One woman?” I verify, sitting up straighter. He had said they share everything.
He nods. “There are several stories that involve Carnage. One is she was killed. The other is she escaped.”
I frown. “So she was a prisoner there, or a patient?”
He shakes his head, getting irritated with all my questions. “Why do you care?” His eyes narrow on me.
I sit back, crossing my arms over my chest and shutting my mouth. I sound too desperate. “Just curious. Heard some rumors and wanted to know if they were true. I find it odd that they’re kept a secret.”
He goes to open his mouth, but his cell rings and he digs it out of his pocket. “It’s Malcom,” he announces, and I roll my eyes. My future father-in-law. “Give me a second.” Placing the phone to his ear, he smiles. “Hello, Malcom…” Opening up the door to the right, he steps out of his office, knowing I’m not fucking leaving, and he wants privacy.
I pull up my phone and click on the app to see Elli. She lies in bed sleeping. She’s been doing it a lot lately. She’s not eating enough. Between how much she’s been drinking and what I’ve done to her body, she’s exhausted.
Locking my cell, I pocket it and catch sight of the box that my father had shown me the other day. Full of pictures of Elli. I get up, walking over to it. Pulling the lid off, I pick one up.
She’s young. Underage for sure. She’s blindfolded, tied to a dingy mattress in a basement. It’s dark but the flash lights her up. She’s clothed in a yellow sundress. The thought of her in this kind of situation so young makes my pulse race. That I should have seen signs. That I should have paid more attention to her.