WHITE OUT (24690)

by Dark,A. A.

A long, broken up cry tore from her as she clung to the blouse she’d ripped from the closet. I didn’t like her emotions towards the slave, but I was relieved and even happy that he was dead. She didn’t have to know that, though. It wouldn’t help the part of my mind that said I needed to try to salvage what had been between us.

  “Don’t you think if I wanted him dead, I would have killed him, myself? I probably should have. Especially if he did open his mouth. He had no right telling you anything.”

  “But he did and now he’s g-gone.”

  A deep sigh left me and I tried to push back the rage that came with my past. With him. “You shouldn’t have watched the footage. You need to calm. Maybe you should rest.”

  “I will not rest,” she yelled. “And I had to watch. I had to see for myself.”

  “What are doing that you can’t rest?”

  Everleigh let the shirt she was wearing fall to the ground as she shoved her arms through the silk sleeves of the blouse. She was calming and somehow composing herself. Whatever was racing through that complicated mind of hers was beyond me.

  “What do you think I’m doing? I already told you, I’m going to see my husband.”

  The title was like a sucker-punch to my throat. It stole every ounce of air from me. The hate that appeared with my next breath surpassed any amount of anger I’d held before.

  “He is not your husband. He never was.”

  “Why is that? Because I’m a slave and unworthy of a commitment that great? Or maybe it’s because I shouldn’t be loved.” She shook her head, fumbling with the button between her breasts. “We took vows, Bram. We signed papers. West Harper is my husband whether you want to admit it to yourself or not.”

  “Wrong. He forced you into marriage. That is not what a real husband does. If you only knew … if you could only see …” My jaw clenched repeatedly as I fought the need to yank her to me and show her the difference. If only I had emotion there to back it up.

  “What haven’t I seen, Bram? I’ve seen it all—the good, the bad, the monstrous. Once we were married, West never hid behind a mask like I did. He never made excuses for what or who he was. We stood before each other and I may have lied my ass off while taking those vows, but I said them and so did he.”

  “Fine. If you want to believe the two of you are man and wife, go ahead. Come a few days, it’ll be over for good. Then, you and I can never mention it again.”

  “If I divorce, it will be because I make it happen. You’ve barely lifted your finger for me. Don’t feel obligated to start now.”

  “I will do whatever the fuck I want. What I want is you to drop the fucking Harper name and forget him.”

  She laughed. “Forget? That’ll never happen. I’m keeping the name. Everleigh Harper encompasses who I am now. She’s a million more times the woman than Everleigh Davenport ever was.”

  “So get a new name. I don’t give a shit what you call yourself, but Harper will not be it.”

  An aggravated sound left her, but she was too focused on buttoning the slacks that she didn’t pay me notice as I stepped in closer. Fuck, my hands were itching to shake her until I erased that bastard from the deepest recesses of her mind. The obsessive part that held to her argued that I was the only one meant to be there. It was me that should have consumed her. Here I was, alive, but only one person seemed to be taking her over. Until West was dead, he’d continue to steal her from me. Maybe in death, he still would.

  “Stop getting dressed. I’m not letting you go to the White Room. I’ve already told you that.”

  “And I said I’d be careful. He’s behind a locked door. What could happen?” Even as she said it, she looked up. “Don’t answer that. Anything could happen.”

  “Exactly. West will expect you to come. He’ll know you’re upset over Eleven. That’s why you’re going to stay here with me and pretend it doesn’t matter.” I paused, debating on whether I should tell her. She had the right to know, but I wasn’t sure how she’d take it. I gave my word and I broke it.

  “You’re not telling me something. Bram, what is it? What have you done?”

  Damn, she was good. Too good.

  I took a few steps back. We were only inches apart. Had I gotten so close, so fast? Yes. The more I was around Everleigh, the more the old Bram stirred in his cage. Why wasn’t he coming back? When would he return? Would he ever?

  “I stopped the red lights.”

  “You what?” Her eyes widened and this time anger had her closing the distance between us. “Why would you do that? Why would you take this away from me?”

  “I gave you what you wanted, Everleigh. It didn’t work. Making him fight for his life will do no good. He likes the violence. You saw his face. His eyes. The red light wasn’t a punishment for West, it was a fucking love affair. Let me show you what torture really is. Those prisoners, they’ll never experience the true white—the static white. And that’s my doing. I’m easy on them. But West, I have him being sent to a special room. One with no bed, no facilities, no window, and no sound. Even what he’ll be fed is white. Let the color take its toll. Watch what happens to a man when he truly breaks.”

  For a long moment, Everleigh didn’t speak. Her eyes searched mine and she swallowed hard. “Not good enough. I want you to go with me to the White Room. I want him to see us together before he gets sent there. Not together like that,” she rushed out, “but so he can see you’re alive. I want him to know he’s not going to get out of this. He won’t win.”

  “Not together like that, huh?”

  I bit my bottom lip, not able to control my hand from gasping to her hip. It was only for a moment, but enough to reveal just how fucking conflicted I was. The touch had her drawing back and I wasn’t sure who was more cautious about my constant need to touch her. I didn’t even know where it was coming from. Him—the old Bram? God, a part of me wished he’d return before I did something more unforgivable than what I’d already done.

  “Leave, before we both regret it.”

  “But this is my room.”

  The spark in her eyes said it wasn’t attitude she was giving me, but a challenge. My mind swirled at seeing her personality change so drastically. The game. Yes, she had to be up to something. Or was she just fighting her old feelings for me just as I seemed to subconsciously be doing?

  “Of course.” I turned, stopping at the door to look back at her. Fear, uncertainty, confusion. For the first time since I’d seen her again, I could almost read her like a book. Like one of mine. She didn’t want me to go, but she was just as hesitant about me staying. “Give me a minute and we’ll head over there.”

  I left the room, stalking to the restroom. One flip of the light and I nearly cursed. The dark circles were still under my eyes and I looked like shit. It wasn’t how I wanted to appear when being faced with West again, but it wasn’t like he was perfectly the way he had been before, either. The scar on his face gave me pleasure. As for the scissors …a grin tugged at my lips. Everleigh had outdone herself, there.

  Water poured into the sink as I began to wet my face and hair. I didn’t want to think about how I didn’t feel well. I was exhausted and the traces of weakness were all too evident.

  I patted my face with the hand towel, tossing it on the counter as I opened the door. Everleigh was waiting a few feet away with her hands clasped before her. When I started walking to the front door, she followed. When I swung the barrier open, Jarrett and Derek looked up. I could tell my High Leader was rocked by the events from Eleven. Maybe he blamed me, too. I didn’t know and in truth, I didn’t care. The slave was one less complication I had to worry about.

  “The Mistress wishes to pay West a visit. We’ll accompany her.”

  Jarrett and Everleigh’s stare met for only a moment, but it was enough to give me pause. I led the way, narrowing my eyes as I weighed whether I should worry about their closeness. I didn’t think it was sexual in nature, but I couldn’t be certain either. Maybe I’d missed something in the tapes? Ma
ybe it was only the beginning.

  Guard after guard nodded as we passed. Their heads lowered in what I could only assume was respect, but I even questioned that. I trusted no one. My eyes scanned every door ahead. At each turn, I half expected someone to be there waiting to finish me off. And I was ready in case they were. My knife never left me. Not even in sleep. I kept the large blade strapped to my chest, at all times. I wasn’t going to get caught off guard again. Not without some form of protection.

  “Bram?”

  Everleigh was damn near running to keep up with me. I slowed, forcing down the anxiousness as I glanced at her.

  “What is it?”

  “I want to go in his room. I want to see him alone, first.”

  “Why the hell would you want to do something so stupid? Have you lost your mind?”

  At her pause, I rolled my eyes. “No.”

  “The door can be left open and you can be around the other side. I just … I have to do this. I have to face him alone before he knows you’re alive.”

  “And if he hurts you? Kills you?”

  She frowned. “Then you will make him pay.”

  “No. He’s already going to pay. And right now you’re alive. Let’s keep it that way.”

  Everleigh got quiet as we rounded the turn and came to a stop outside the main door to the White Room. The guard scrambled to open the barrier and stayed quiet as we headed inside, passing surveillance. I wasn’t even to the arched metal door before it opened and allowed us entrance into the hall that harbored the cells. Not a word was spoken. Not a whisper or sound was made from the prisoners. I walked slowly, meeting the eyes of the ones who braved to continue to peer out. Everleigh’s breaths were heavy, but she stayed quiet, taking in the scene from next to me.

  “At least let me speak to him before he sees you.”

  I glanced over, giving a nod as I let her take the lead. As she approached, I stopped, and Derek and Jarrett moved in beside me.

  Knock. Knock.

  The taps on the glass were hard. I knew the moment West must have seen her because her body stiffened the smallest amount while she waited.

  “Don’t you look beautiful.” He paused. “I knew you’d come.”

  She took a little step back, her expression staying expressionless as she stared through the glass. “Did you? Why?”

  “Because I killed your slave, of course.”

  “Why would I come because of that? If he’s dead, he’s dead. It makes no difference to me.”

  The coldness in her tone almost shocked me. Had I not seen her destroyed over the young man’s death, I would have believed her.

  “You’re such a bad liar, baby. You licked your lips which means not only are you not telling me the truth, you’re upset. I know you better than you know yourself. Now, enough of this. Open the door and let me out. We’re even. Let’s go kill these Main Masters, get dinner, and plan our future together. I’ll nibble on your fingers and do that thing on your inner thighs that you like and we’ll start over with a clean slate as real equals.”

  My blood boiled as I watched Everleigh’s lids narrow.

  “You just don’t get it, do you? You’re not getting free. It’s over, husband. All of it.”

  A bang on the door had her slightly jumping.

  “Open the fucking door, Everleigh. You’ve had your fun with all of us. I know what you want. You want power. You don’t want to be held back. I can give that to you.” He paused, softening his tone. “You wanted a family. We talked about that, remember? Let’s do it. It’ll give us something to focus on. Something to be proud of. God, I love you. I know you love me, too. Let’s work on this together. All you have to do is tell me what you want. I’ll give it to you. I have enough money stashed away to give you whatever you want. Here … outside of here. Whichever you choose. All you have to do is tell me.”

  The silence tore into my gut like a razorblade. I took a step forward, having a hard time staying still. To see my former best friend on tape was bad enough. Hearing him speak that way to the woman I once held such love for … it was too much. He spoke the truth. He loved her in his own way. Our way. Yes, we were so similar and I couldn’t deny it. I held hate for what he did to Everleigh, but was I looking at her how she would have been had our future never been interrupted? Even though I made the safeguards, it didn’t erase who I truly was.

  “Think about it, wife. A baby. You could be a mother. I could be a father. We could celebrate the holidays as a real family. We could take pictures. Dress up and have big feasts. Christmas is coming up. Wouldn’t you like to get a tree and decorate our place as it should be? We could travel to the city and go shopping. Buy little baby clothes and … God, the look on your face. You want it so badly. Open the door. I want to kiss you. I want to hold you. Everleigh, please.”

  My jaw clenched repeatedly and I couldn’t stop myself from stepping into view. I jerked Everleigh back, lowering my head next to hers so we could stare at him together. The hope that was pulling in his features slowly melted. His eyes widened and his lips separated. There was a slow shake of his head before his brow creased and a roar tore from his throat. His eyes met mine and repeatedly he began to slam his fist into the door.

  “She’s mine! Mine!”

  Over and over the shouts repeated. Everleigh turned, burying her face in my chest as West continued to go crazy. A smile tugged at my mouth and my arms wrapped around her shoulders, lovingly. I even reached up stroking down her hair. Not once did I break my connection from West. Sweat was pouring down his face and still the threats continued.

  “Let. Go! I’m going to slice your fucking throat. Let go of her, Bram! Everleigh! Everleigh! She’s my wife!”

  Only then did I move, and it wasn’t much. My head shook and my smile grew. “Not anymore.” My gaze lowered and my hand stopped so my fingers could bury in the back of her short hair. I didn’t have to tug to get Everleigh to look at me. Her head leaned back, but her body didn’t soften into mine. I didn’t care. My lips crushed into hers, taking what I wanted. Where darkness should have come for both of us, our lids didn’t close. My stare left hers to cut up and I glared right at West as I forced my tongue into her mouth. Still, she was cold to me. My hand pushed at her lower back, arching to bring her into me even more. I wanted him to see how she was mine. How she’d always belonged to me. Whether she wanted it or not was irrelevant.

  “I’ll kill you this time. I swear to God I’m going to kill you. Everleigh! Open the door, baby. God, open the fucking door!”

  Veins protruded from West’s red face as she began to fight and thrash in my tightening arms. He gave one last slam of his fist and Everleigh broke through my hold, shaking her head while she scrambled away. Her eyes were large and her stare darted between me and West. The confliction didn’t last long. With the fading, came anger.

  “You cheapen me,” she said to me, forcefully. “Not only in your High Leaders’ eyes, but to every guard who is watching our every move. I’m so sick and tired of being in the middle of both of your battles. I wanted your presence to show him he failed. To make a statement of how his actions will require extreme consequences from our returning Main Master. Not some false claim to throw in his face.” Angry tears welled in her eyes. “I asked for a seat on the board. I meant to gain respect. And this is how you behave? This is repulsing. Just … very sickening, disappointing behavior from someone who calls himself Main Master.” Her gaze went to Jarrett, only to come back to me. “I’ll leave the two of your to compare dick sizes. Luckily for me, I already know who wins. And who’s is better.” Everleigh threw West a look I couldn’t read before she spun, gesturing to Jarrett. I watched until they were halfway down the hall, hating how I felt nothing over her outburst. Not anger, not shame. When I turned, my smile returned, and I stepped in closer to the glass. West didn’t move back or blink through his murderous gaze.

  “I’m going to let you in on a secret. Your annulment was finalized yesterday morning,” I lied. “I haven’t
broken the news to Everleigh yet, but I’m guessing she’s really not going to mind. Master Yahn took the liberty of transferring your funds over into her name so there’re no worries there. She’ll be well taken care of. As for your … situation. I don’t feel as though your punishment fits the crime you committed against my slave. I’ll be having you moved to a more suitable room while you await sentencing. I’ll see you soon, friend.”

  “Don’t you fucking walk away from me. Bram!”

  I left his door, hearing his screams grow louder as I headed after Everleigh.

  “Bram! We do this now! You come face me without this door between us, motherfucker!”

  Loud bangs began again and I laughed under my breath, picking up my pace. Let his new reality fester during his trip to the real white room. Let him worry about what I would do to Everleigh. Especially, since she showed resistance. His worries would eat him alive. It actually worked out better that way. Soon, his threats would turn to begging. And then, he’d think no more.

  Chapter 20

  24690

  “For now, we wait and we watch. You heard him. We have a potential path. Do what you must in case it comes to that.”

  Jarrett gave a nod, keeping his head bowed. “I think it will. If so, it may be for the best. You’re right in the fact that they’ll never respect you. I believe with the Main Master’s return, that part of the game is over. It’s time to prepare for what we talked about. I’ll get everything together.”

  “Good. You do that while I follow up on my suspicions. If I come across anything, I’ll let you know.”

  “I’ll think you’re right to be wary of them. I’ll be waiting to see what you find.” He paused. “I just want to say thank you for listening to my story. I’ve never told anyone, but I feel like I can trust you. And you know you can trust me. Is there anything else you need, Mistress?”

  I stayed closed off from my protector, clenching my teeth as his hand stroked down my arm. My mind was consumed by the turn of events. In truth, my hunch concerning Bram and West had been another blow to who I was. Not just the weak slave who lurked inside, but the powerful woman I was becoming. Bram’s actions crippled them both.