Out of respect, we stand when the five Order members come into the dining room. “Welcome. I’m Thane Breckenridge. These are my sons Sinclair and Mitch. And my nephew Jamie Breckenridge—Abram’s son.”
I see a flash of recognition in the eyes of Lennox, and I wonder if my father ever committed any crimes against their brotherhood. It’s a definite possibility.
“I’m Lennox Hendry. These are my sons Kieran, Maddock, Calder, and Carson.”
Thane nods. “Come. Sit. Let’s have a drink.”
Isobel comes into the dining room with a serving tray of glasses and a large bottle of dark amber. “Every great meeting has always begun with a fine whisky. Don’t you agree?”
Lennox nods. “Aye. Indeed.”
Isobel begins with our Order guests and works her way around the table until everyone has a glass of whisky. Lennox’s eyes never leave Isobel. Not once. “Anything else, Thane?”
“That’ll be all. Thank you.”
Thane holds up his glass. “Here’s to a productive meeting where we’re able to come to a mutual agreement.”
“What’s this meeting about, Lennox?”
“You’re aware of my backstory with Arabella? How she came to be my wife as part of a treaty?”
“Aye.”
“At The Syndicate, our belief is to operate with as few rivals as possible. And The Order has far too many powerful adversaries to ever function at its full capacity. We’d like to change the way it operates to mimic The Syndicate. That means making you our allies rather than our enemies.”
“The Order has been a cruel group of people. What makes you sure that as a whole, they’re going to support this?”
I share Thane’s opinion. Those people behave as animals. I’ve seen up close and personal the work of their cruelty. And that’s the way they like it.
“The people of The Order enjoy brutality because Torrence did. It’s what they were taught. It’s all they know. They need to be retrained to enjoy something else. I can do that.”
“How do you propose to do that?”
“Only one way—rule over them with an iron fist they fear. Sure, it’ll take making examples out of some brothers but I’m prepared to do it. A few public executions always put people in their place.”
“Our people will be resistant to this.” I’m resistant to it now.
“I understand there’s been a lot of spilled blood between you, but the benefits of partnering with us outweighs any grudge you hold. It will do nothing but benefit you and your people once we get things on track.”
“If we do this, I would have to insist on some type of insurance.” Why the fuck is Thane even considering this?
“We’re prepared to give you that, and we want our own insurance. We’d like to propose a double treaty. We take Westlyn or Evanna Breckenridge or Ellison MacAllister as a wife for Kieran and as a sign of good faith I’ll give you my daughter, Shaw, to be married to Mitch or Jamie.”
No fucking way. That’s not happening. “We’ll never give a one of them to you.”
“You didn’t give us Westlyn and Ellison but we have both of them,” Kieran says.
“You’re not keeping Ellison or my sister.”
“Jamie, you sit on the council but this isn’t your choice. Dad and I will make the decision based upon what’s in the best interest of our people as a whole.” How I hate Sin’s dominant tone.
“We need Kieran’s wife to be a Breckenridge—or the equivalent—so we’re on equal footing.” Meaning that if something happened to his daughter, then whoever Kieran has taken as a wife will pay the price.
Either way I lose a sister or the woman I love.
“I fully trust that this partnership will work and it won’t come down to an eye for an eye. I wouldn’t be offering you my only daughter if I didn’t believe it would be successful.”
Offering his daughter as a sacrifice means nothing to me. I just experienced how easily a parent will give up a child.
Thane looks at Sin and then back to Lennox. “We can’t make this kind of decision tonight. We need time to discuss it.”
“In the meantime, we’re keeping Westlyn and Ellison,” Kieran says.
I will lose my fucking mind if they have to stay another minute with The Order. “No. You can’t agree to this, Thane.”
“The part where we keep Westlyn and Ellison is nonnegotiable. I need time with them to help me decide which one I’ll take as my wife. If I like neither then I’ll need a few days with Evanna.”
Fuck the treaty. “You’ll take none of them as your wife.”
He grins and licks his lips. “I plan on tasting one of them tonight. Maybe both. I haven’t decided yet.”
“That’s enough, Kieran,” his father warns.
“Don’t you fucking touch either of them.”
“Who’s going to stop me?”
“I will kill you.” I stand and pull out my Glock, aiming it directly between his eyes, while contemplating the consequences of putting a bullet in his head.
“That’s not a good way to begin the treaty.”
“You weren’t thinking that when you put a bullet in me a few hours ago.”
“You pulled your weapon. We had no choice.”
“You were kidnapping two of our women. Of course I was going to pull my weapon.”
“It wasn’t our intention to kill you. Otherwise, you’d be dead.”
“Stand down, Jamie.” I hear my leader’s command but it doesn’t compute. My arm won’t obey his order. “Now,” Thane adds.
I return my gun to its holster and sit. Seething. I stare at Kieran Hendry, imagining how his blood would spatter on the gray walls behind him as the bullet enters and exits the center of his head.
“I will have three days with them. Not a minute less. Who knows? Maybe one of them will be carrying my heir by the time they return and the decision will be made for me.”
“Nooo!” This can’t be happening. Fuck. That.
“That’s our offer. We’ll contact you in three days. And just in case you’re thinking of coming for them, we won’t hesitate to put bullets in their pretty little heads. Enjoy the rest of your night.”
This is a fucking nightmare. “We can’t leave them there.”
“You heard them. He wants to spend time with them. It’s nonnegotiable.”
“Spend time with them? Are you kidding me? He’s going to fuck both of them for the next three days.”
Sin refills my whisky glass and pushes it toward me. “They won’t hesitate to kill them. To go after them would be a death sentence.”
I down the entire glass just so I can feel the burn. “You’d leave Bleu there for him to fuck for three days?”
Sin sighs. “I would hate every second, but I would if I knew it was the only way to keep her alive.”
“I don’t believe that for a fucking second.”
“Torrence held Bleu captive for days. I understand everything you’re going through right now. The anger. The fear. The desperation. But you can’t let it control your actions, especially when they lead to Westlyn and Ellison paying the ultimate price. You have to ask yourself if you want them untouched or do you want them alive?”
“I want both.”
“Both isn’t a choice.”
Motherfucker.
Sin’s right. But how the fuck do I sit here for three days and do nothing while I slowly lose my mind?
Chapter 14
Ellison Macallister
I’ve looked at these same walls for two days. The only interaction I’ve had with another human being is when The Order member brings my food tray three times a day. Interaction is a loose term since the man says nothing. Nada. Not a single word.
I’ve lain on the bed. Sat in the chair. Cried in the shower. Being here—and not knowing if Jamie is dead or alive or what is happening to Westlyn—is mentally exhausting. I never knew I could do absolutely nothing and be so worn out.
I hear the jiggle of the lock on the door and real
ize it must be dinnertime. The same man brings in my food tray and places it on the foot of the bed. “I want to see my friend.”
He’s silent as expected.
“I’ve been here for two days and I have no idea if she’s okay. Please let me see her.”
I was terrified of hearing Kieran violate her when we first arrived but now I’d be grateful to hear something. Anything. At least then I’d know she’s still alive.
The Order member turns to walk away, again without a word, and I lose it. All the fury building inside me the last two days erupts to the surface.
“Let me see Westlyn, you son of a bitch.” I pick up the piece of bread on my plate and chuck it as hard as I can at the back of his head, nailing him right smack in the center. I’m about to charge when he stops dead in his tracks and touches the back of his head.
Oh, shit. I may have just screwed up big time.
He turns around and is smiling—and laughing—which only pisses me off more. “What the hell are you laughing at?”
“You are a cheeky little bitch.” He bends down to pick it up, now in two pieces, and brings it to me. “If I hadn’t been ordered to leave you be, I’d be fucking that sass right out of your lips, American.”
He smirks but says nothing more. And then I’m alone again.
I finish my dinner and place the tray next to the door. I wait an hour. And then two more. Still no Westlyn.
I give up and lie down to make an attempt at sleeping. With only a couple hours sleep over the last two days, you’d think I’d fall into a slumber as soon as my head hit the pillow. But I don’t. It’s as though I’m too tired to sleep. I’m in a jerk every time my body gets still.
The lock on my door jiggles and light floods into the room through the opening. I see the silhouette walking toward me and immediately know it’s Westlyn.
“Wes!” I leap from the bed to run to her and we meet in the middle of the room. “Please tell me you’re all right.”
“Two minutes, Westlyn.” I look over her shoulder and see the silhouette of a tall, broad man standing in the doorway. Kieran Hendry. I recognize his voice as the one who negotiated with Westlyn. I should have known we wouldn’t get an unsupervised visitation.
I grab her hands and pull her to sit on the bed beside me. I strain my eyes to try to make out her face since the only light in the room is coming from the doorway. I need to see how severely he has beaten her. “I’m so sorry. I know the last two days have been hell for you. Has he beaten you horribly?”
She puts her hands on top of mine and squeezes. “I’m okay.”
Westlyn is lying. She doesn’t want me to feel badly about her taking the abuse intended for me. “How can you be okay?”
“Don’t fret about me. I’m all right. Really.” She can’t speak freely. Kieran’s standing right there in the doorway.
“Have you heard anything about Jamie?”
“Kieran told me that he’s alive.”
“Oh, thank God.”
I take a moment to absorb the information. You may think you love a man but spend two days away from him believing he could be dead and you’ll find out just how deeply he has penetrated your heart.
I lower my voice, hoping he won’t hear me. “What is going to happen to us?”
“Kieran left me in his quarters right after we arrived. I think he and the new Order council went to meet with Thane, Sin, Mitch, and Jamie. That’s all I know but I get the feeling they must have negotiated for our return.”
“When?” I don’t know why I’m asking Westlyn. I highly doubt Kieran came back and discussed the council meeting with her.
“I have no idea. Guess it depends on the terms of the negotiation.”
“Time’s up, Westlyn. Back to my quarters.” Back to my quarters. Those words are nauseating.
“Is that where you’ve been confined all this time? His quarters?”
“Yes.”
Oh God. He’s keeping her in his bedroom all day and all night. I don’t even want to think about how many times he’s raped her since we got here.
I wanted to put on a strong front for Westlyn but the tears I’ve been holding have a mind of their own. “I’m so sorry you’re going through this.”
“Look at me and listen to what I’m telling you, Ellison. Really hear my words. It’s. O. K.”
“How can it be?” Westlyn was so strong in the limo only moments after we were kidnapped. And now she seems calm and collected. Has she gone through some kind of Fellowship training where she has learned how to not show her fear or weakness?
“Westlyn… you’re done here,” Kieran says.
“I have to go. Stay strong. Everything is going to be fine.”
We embrace one another as though we may never see each other again. Will I see her again? “You stay strong.”
And then I’m left alone again. And the tears start. Again.
It’s night three at The Order compound. Solitary confinement. Prison. Bastille. Whatever you want to call this place.
Each day has been identical. I’ve become accustomed to hearing the jiggle of the lock followed by the same Order member bringing in my meal tray. I wonder if it’ll be fish and chips or stew and soda bread.
Tall, dark, and not-so handsome with a huge scar across his cheek isn’t holding my dinner tray this time. “Come.”
“Come where?”
No reply. Total shocker.
I get up and follow The Order member. “Where are you taking me?”
“Boss is taking you home.”
Home. To Jamie. My knees nearly buckle and it’s me who’s speechless this time.
Kieran and Westlyn are already in the back of the black Sedan when I get inside. It’s impossible to describe the alleviation I feel when I see her. “Oh my God, Wes. I’m so relieved you’re in this car.”
I look at Kieran over her shoulder as Westlyn hugs me and I want to scream “you fucking monster” in his face. But I don’t. I’m sure it’s better to not push my luck at this point.
It’s dark in the backseat of the car but I don’t mistake the possessive hold of Kieran’s hand on Westlyn’s thigh. He’s holding it like he has the right to touch her. Like she belongs to him. Like he isn’t ready to let her go back to The Fellowship. Makes me sick. Your nightmare is almost over, Wes. Not much longer.
I’m relieved when the car pulls into Thane’s drive but a pang of fear comes over me when I see Jamie, Thane, Sin, and Mitch standing in front of the house.
Will Jamie turn away because he sees me as tainted?
Will he believe me when I tell him they didn’t rape me?
Will he end our relationship because the burden that comes along with me is too much to handle?
The car comes to a stop and one might expect me to try to fling the door open and run into his arms. Instead, I don’t move a muscle. I’m scared to face him. Terrified that he won’t believe I wasn’t raped. Petrified he’ll be done with me for good.
The driver of the car gets out and walks around to open my door. I still don’t move.
“You’re free to go, Miss MacAllister.” Freedom is one step away. It’s dumb that Kieran has to say those words to remind me.
I slide over and get out but Westlyn doesn’t follow. What is she doing? “Come on, Wes. Let’s go.” Now. Before the monster changes his mind.
“Miss Breckenridge and I need a private moment. She’ll join you in a minute.” I don’t move because leaving Westlyn behind feels wrong. “Go, Miss MacAllister. Now.”
What could he possibly want with Wes? Surely, he doesn’t intend on violating her on Fellowship property. Would he be that evil?
“Mac.” I turn at the sound of Jamie’s voice and see him rushing toward me. I take no more than two steps before we collide and I’m in his arms.
He holds me for a moment and then loosens his embrace so he can look at my face. “Those bastards hit you.”
“I’m fine.” I realize how lucky I am to have come out of this with only
a punch to the face.
“Fuck. I’ve been going crazy. I thought I’d lost you forever.” He squeezes me tightly and kisses the top of my head. “I love you so much, Mac. I haven’t told you that near enough. But I’m going to.”
“I love you too.”
Jamie twists us so his body is between the car and me. “Get away from them. Go inside the house while we get Westlyn back. Bleu’s waiting for you there.”
He releases me and walks toward the car. I have no idea what he’s going to do but it can’t be good with that unhinged look in his eyes. “Whatever you’re going to do… don’t.”
“That fucker still has my sister.”
“And Kieran’s going to release her in a minute. Unharmed. Please don’t do anything that’s going to put her in the middle of a challenge.” I hold out my hand for him to take. “Westlyn is fine.”
He looks at the car for a moment and then back at me. “You’re sure?”
“Yes. He said she would join me in a moment. I believe him.” I’m not sure I do but I can’t let Jamie go crazy on Kieran. That won’t be good for anyone.
He looks like a wild animal trying to decide if he’ll attack or draw back. “Come to me.”
“Retreat, Jamie.” Thane’s voice has an ultimate alpha tone to it. “You already know he enjoys provoking you. Don’t give him another opportunity.”
He glares at the car before turning away. “Fuck me. He’s holding on to her just to antagonize me.”
“Move away from the car. He’ll be more inclined to release her if you’re not standing over him.” I have no idea what has gone down between Jamie and Kieran but I definitely pick up on some kind of pissing contest.
I see the anguish on Jamie’s face as he walks toward me. I feel it when he yanks me into his arms and squeezes hard, almost painfully so. “I’ve never wanted to kill anyone more than I want to kill that fucking Kieran Hendry.”
I feel the same. “I may help you kill him.”
Jamie grasps the sides of my face. “What did that motherfucker do to you?”
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