My legs are kicked wide open, and each pant leg shoved up to my calves where I feel a cuff wrap around each one, just as tight as my wrists, before they’re shackled to the floor. A third belt is wrapped around my hips, pinning them to the post as well.
I’m unable to move a muscle. Hell, I can barely breathe.
The door opens and I get a glimpse of an older man pushing a cart with him. It looks like medical instruments on it. My breathing is rapid, and my heart is pounding as drool starts to run out of the corner of my lips.
The guy comes to a stop in front of me and pulls on a pair of gloves. Then he takes the stethoscope around his neck and places it to my chest. He listens silently and then looks to one of the brothers and nods. A cold chill runs up my spine when the guy with the snake tattoos around his neck smiles at me.
The doctor grabs a syringe and pushes the tip into a vial, extracting some of the liquid, and then turns to face me.
My body involuntary fights the restraints as he places his fingers on my chest. I feel my skin tear around my wrists from the cuffs before the blood starts to run down my arms.
“You’re going to feel a pinch.” He plunges the needle into my chest, making the room fill with my gagged scream.
ELLINGTON
I WAKE TO find myself alone in bed, my body is so sore. Sin acted like the world was coming to an end. I mean, he’s always been rough, but he wasn’t holding anything back over the last two days. Hell, this past week for that matter.
I make my way to the kitchen to get a drink and see my dad already sitting at the table. “Have you seen Sin?” I ask him.
“No.” He frowns. “But I just woke up.”
“Sin?” I call out, entering the living room. I yelp in surprise when I see Tyson sitting on the couch, arms out across the back of the cushion. “You scared me.” I smile but it drops when he doesn’t return it. “Where’s Sin?” I ask, looking around as my father enters as well.
“He’s gone,” Tyson answers, his eyes going to my father then back to mine.
“What do you mean gone? When will he be back?” Maybe he had to go to the house of Lords for something.
“He’s not coming back.” Tyson stands and holds out a journal I hadn’t seen sitting next to him until now. Then he sets a Lords ring on the coffee table next to what I recognize is Sin’s cell phone. It starts to vibrate, and I see it light up with a text.
My breath hitches as the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. He’d never leave his phone behind. I pick it up, noticing there’s no longer a lock on it and open up the message to read it out loud.
UNKNOWN: Nicholas, enjoy your freedom.
“Fuck,” my father hisses, yanking the phone from my hand.
“What’s going on?” I demand. “What does it mean by freedom?” Why is it unknown? Why would they text it to Sin and not Tyson? I would wonder why they didn’t text my father if it was directed to him, but he doesn’t have a phone that I know of.
“Tyson, may I speak to you for a second?” My father ignores my questions and doesn’t wait for an answer from Tyson. Instead, he walks out of the house and onto the back porch. I open up the journal to the first page.
Little demon,
I’m sitting here next to you in our bed watching you sleep. It’s taking everything in me to not wake you up and tell you goodbye. To see those gorgeous blue eyes look at me one more time. To hear your sweet voice whisper you love me. I won’t do that to you. I’ve already put you through enough.
So I decided to write you a letter. It’s better this way, I promise.
First, let me just say, I am in love with you, Elli. I have been for as long as I can remember. I’m selfish, I know that. But I also know that you were always meant to be mine, and me yours. No matter what I’ve done or said to you, please believe me when I say it was always you. You are it for me.
I had to make a choice. And I know it was the correct one. I hope one day you will wake up and agree with me. You deserve your father. My family took him from you, it’s my responsibility to give him back. Nicholas can protect you from everything that is bad in our world. I failed you more than once and for that I’m sorry. I should have been there for you, and I wasn’t. Not when it mattered.
I tricked you into marrying me. I’m not sorry about that, though. I went to an attorney yesterday and had divorce papers drawn up, but I couldn’t bring myself to sign them. I can’t let you go. Although, I will no longer exist to the world, I will still be alive. For how long, I don’t know. But I promise you this, Elli, you will be my wife until I take my last breath. I did, however, make sure that you are taken care of. Tyson has the paperwork you’ll need. I left you everything that I have. I know you don’t need it, but you deserve it. You’ve always owned me so it felt wrong to not give you what was left of me.
This is where I’m supposed to tell you that I hope you find someone to make you happy. That you settle down with a good man that isn’t involved with the Lords, have kids, and grow old with him. But I can’t do that either. If that makes me a horrible person, then so be it. You know who I am, and I’m the guy that can’t imagine you with anyone other than me. That will never change.
Lastly—don’t lose yourself in your own mind, Elli. Don’t let yourself drown trying to save someone who refuses to swim. Stay clear-headed. Don’t fog your brain with drugs or doubt. You are stronger than that. Know that you are loved by a man that wanted the world for you, even if he wasn’t able to deliver.
Please know that you’ll always be in my thoughts, and that you will remain my little demon forever.
Love, your devil
“Where the fuck is he?” I hear my father demand and I look up through my watery eyes to see him enter the house. He yanks the journal from my hands.
I feel dizzy, my hands grab at my chest, pulling on my shirt.
Tyson walks over to me. “Breathe, Elli,” he orders, gripping my face, forcing me to look up at him. “Fucking breathe. Before you pass out.”
“Goddammit.” My father hisses, throwing the journal to the floor.
“W-why would he do this?” I’m gasping, trying to catch my breath. I don’t understand. The letter didn’t answer any of my questions, it just gave me more.
“Because he’s an idiot.” My father is the one who answers. “Tyson, we need to leave.”
“Where are we going?” he asks, confused.
“My old house. Now.” My father starts gathering his things. “Does the cathedral still have a triage set up?”
“Yeah.” Tyson nods.
“Good. Call Gavin. Have him meet us at the cathedral. We’re going to need him.”
_______________
I REFUSED TO stay back at the house after reading the note that Sin left me. If he is going to choose to leave me, he’ll say it to my motherfucking face. After everything we’ve been through, and he thinks he can just walk out on me? I won’t accept that from him. He’s never been a coward; I won’t let him be one now.
I sit in the back seat of my mother’s Cadillac Escalade. Looking over the seat, I see my mother and Sin’s father both hog-tied, lying side by side in the back. We went and picked them up at my parents’ house.