Not once did I slow down. Ford wasn’t too far behind me. He had men already in the building, and I heard him barking orders. This was why he was my right-hand man, and why I left him in charge while I was on the island. He was the only person I could trust.
Like me, he worked his way from the ground up.
As I got closer to the sound, I held my gun, ready to fight. I passed one of the men who worked for me. He was dead, eyes staring out in shock.
The moment I saw my target, I shot, taking out the attacker. I didn’t linger to see if my man was okay. I broke through the door. I was panting, and it was a struggle to breathe, but I got to my door, which had been broken into.
The moment I entered, I heard her scream, followed by the sound of breaking glass.
Ashley put up a fight. I stepped over broken plates. Furniture was turned over.
The scream came from the bedroom, and I charged forward.
Ashely had been pressed over the bed, and the man was trying to work his pants down. She kept kicking and clawing.
With the gun at his temple, I’d already fired before he could stop me.
He fell to the ground and Ashley scrambled away. The impact sprayed her back and head with blood.
At the top of the bed, her wild eyes looked at me.
“It’s me,” I said.
I was still panting, but fuck me. I didn’t know how it was possible. I got here before they raped her.
From the bruises forming, the cuts, she had taken a beating before they got to the bedroom.
“Ashley, it’s me. It’s Earl.”
“You’re here. You’re really here.” She threw herself into my arms, and I captured her, sitting on the bed, not caring about the mess.
Her entire body shook.
I was sick with it. Anger clawed deep into my pores.
Knight did this.
He wanted to play a game. He thought he could take on a beast, well, he was about to see what happened because he had just woken that beast up.
I held Ashley even as Ford entered the room.
One look was all it took, and he stepped back, giving me and my woman space.
She was stressed. Her body was shaking.
“I was making dinner, and the door, they broke it.” She started to sob. I held her even tighter as she told me. “I threw food at him, and he hit me. I grabbed everything I could. I tried to fight back.”
I kissed the top of her head. “You did good, baby. You did really good.”
“He didn’t … he was going to. He told me he was going to kill me. That his boss wanted me dead.”
I let her cry and just listened to what she had to say. All the while, I plotted.
This was the second time Ashley’s life had been put in danger, but I knew it would be the last time.
Knight wanted to play. I was more than happy to join in.
We were enemies, and until now, he’d been quiet, but I knew things would only escalate. When you sat on the top of a throne, it was only a matter of time before someone felt they had a right to sit here.
It was time to get back in the game, and to do that, Ashley needed to go.
Chapter Sixteen
Ashley
One week later
Something was different.
Earl was different.
He didn’t stay around anymore. Nor did he sleep in my bed. He was distant. Not exactly cold, but close enough.
I couldn’t get through to him no matter what I said.
He moved me from the apartment to a hotel room. There was room service and multiple men at my door and inside it.
I’d been here for a week.
He only came at night.
Always sat in the chair, never coming to bed.
It was like being back at the island, only this was worse. I knew what to expect back there, but here, it was even harder.
The noises were an illusion.
I was scared. Someone had tried to kill me. An enemy of Earl tried to remove me from his life. In doing so, I saw the change in him. He wasn’t the same man.
That night, when he entered the hotel room, I knew something was going to happen before he even opened his mouth.
“Come here, Ashley.”
No hello. No asking how I was.
He’d sat through the doctor pulling out shards of glass that had been embedded in my body, tending to my bruises, and all he’d done was sit stoically as it happened.
No words.
No encouragement.
Just sat silently.
I’d hated every second of it.
Still did.
I had fallen for this man, and yet, I didn’t recognize him. No smirk. No smile. He was dead inside. His eyes gave it all away. There was nothing there.
“Earl, what’s going on?”
“Come here.”
No room to talk. An order. A strict instruction. The desire to deny him was so strong, but I knew he wasn’t ready for that. This was serious.
Getting to my feet, I walked closer to him.
I held myself perfectly still as he stroked his knuckles down my cheek. “This is for your own good.”
The next thing I felt was a sting, and I glanced down to see he held a syringe.
Instantly, my body got heavy. I felt sick. The world began spinning.
He spoke the words again.
“This is for your own good.”
Everything went black.
****
Everything felt heavy. My body wasn’t my own. My arms were full of lead to lift up and wipe at my eyes. Even my eyes felt sore. My lips were numb.
“Ashley,” Earl said.
Opening my eyes, I kept them open.
No blinding light. Darkness. It was night.
I tilted my head up and saw I was in a car, slumped in a seat but with the belt on. Slowly, my body began to work. I could move my arms but not quickly.
Everything around me seemed to be moving fast.
I reached up and rubbed at my eyes, looking out the car window. I knew this place. We were in the front yard of the Monsters’ main house. This was where we stayed when they were hunting the fathers.
Why were we back here?
“Good. You’re awake. I thought I’d given you too much of the sedative.”
I turned my head to look at Earl. He sat in the back with me. I noticed his driver didn’t turn to look.
“What is going on?” I asked.
“Simple. This is the end of the road. Our time together is finished. Your bags are already inside. Here is your passport and your purse.”
With each word he said, I grew more alert. Panic seized me.
“What?”
“I told you our time would come to an end, and now it has. Your friends are expecting you.”
I looked toward the door to see it open. Emily with her four men, and I turned back to Earl.
“You’re getting rid of me?”
“I told you this day would come. I’ve had my fun. You’re no longer a virgin. You hold no appeal, and to be honest, you’re boring me. You’re more trouble than you are worth.”
His words cut me to the core. Each word tearing a layer of confidence, crushing my heart.
I’d known it all along, but there had always been a shard of hope. A glimmer of promise.
“You don’t mean that.”
“Ashley, please don’t be a stupid woman now. I’ve enjoyed playing the hero and fucking you. You’re nice and tight, but like so many times before, I’m bored. I’ve grown tired of you, and I don’t intend to settle for one cunt. I’m not a one-woman man.”