Chapter 11
Bram
Duty, honor, love.
Love never came first. It hadn’t in all my years. Just because I found it once didn’t mean the emotion could bypass what I knew had to happen. Maybe revenge intertwining with duty had blinded me from who my heart phantomly ached for. Everleigh had been all I wanted. Everything I had ever wanted. But what West had done when he had me stabbed—who I saw him turn into afterward, fed the man I’d kept locked away inside of me. The evil I harbored was the only side that existed anymore. I wanted him to pay. I wanted him to suffer worse than what I was seeing and couldn’t stop. I wanted him to think he had it all, only to watch his horror when he realized it was never his to begin with.
Dr. Cortez said my state of mind was normal due to all the surgeries I’d had to repair my heart. All fucking three of them. Depression, numbness of emotions, they were commonly associated with major operations. Especially, the heart. But emotions aside, what I’d undergone took a toll on my appearance as well. I looked more on the verge of death, than life. The dark circles, the weight loss. I was weak. I should have cared more than I did, but I didn’t. Nothing mattered but catching up on what I had missed during all my time of recovery. I’d only been able to start the footage a week and a half ago between sleep, but already I knew West was a dead man.
There was nowhere I was associated with that didn’t have cameras present. Whitlock, my penthouse in Chicago, even my limo. I had footage of everything. It was a safeguard in case there came a point where I needed to see something. And luckily, I had taken the steps to witness what my best friend couldn’t hide.
Rape. More rape. Beatings. Making her skin the red-headed girl. A lashing. I was fucking sick at what happen to my slave. I thought I had her safeguarded. I was led to believe she was okay while I was recovering. It was all a lie—a secret my guards kept from me until I healed enough to be able to handle the truth. And now I knew.
Nothing was going to stop the wrath I planned to bring to everyone who betrayed me. Not just West, but the Masters who followed him. I had nothing left to lose. The world thought I was dead and they could continue to believe so. I’d never go back. Whitlock was my curse. Now, I’d make this damned place burn with us all.
“Master, they’re coming, again.”
My lids lowered the smallest amount and I turned away from the view of my window. My apartment on the fourth floor was safe. What no one knew was all throughout Whitlock there were hidden passages. Secret doors and safe little panic rooms. Not all apartments had them, but some. And this one was a gem. It used to belong to one of the board members under my grandfather. I could get anywhere in Whitlock from this place. Lately, when I wasn’t trying to self-destruct, I did.
“That’s three times in two hours. You think we’re getting under West’s skin?”
Derek threw me a look. “That’s the understatement of the year. It was Master Norris. Bastard. I told you we should have killed him.”
I clenched my teeth, following through the hidden door in the closet. “He needed to tell him. I only wish I could have traded places with West. I would have made him suffer a million times worse than that little show he gave us.”
The room opened up into a smaller one that housed two chairs and two cots. I went right to my computer, pulling up the footage. With the screen split into four, I took in Everleigh’s white room, West’s bedroom, the apartment I was in, and the hall leading to my place.
Derek was right. Guards darted down the hall, pushing open the doors and going inside in groups of two. Although I should have been cautious of them finding me, I felt nothing but the anger that festered. Rage was the only thing I felt anymore.
I enlarged Everleigh’s room, putting on the headphones so I could hear what was being said. I hadn’t checked on her live feed for hours. I’d been so lost in catching up on her and the other Masters from weeks ago that time flew by. I ended on her murder of Eli. A murder I hadn’t even known had happened had Derek not filled me in on the details of why Everleigh walked out covered in blood. Her confession to West had gotten around. If it was true or not, I wasn’t sure.
“It’s going to be okay, Mistress. Look at me.”
My pulse increased through the hatred as I took in twenty-three-two-eleven. He was so much older than I remembered, but there was no mistaken my father’s precious slave.
“I don’t want to do this,” Everleigh whispered. “I know I have to, but … what if I can’t?”
“He wants you to fail and give into his demands. He wants you to go back with him. Only you can put him in his place.”
“What if I talked with Master Kunken? Maybe he could—“
“He left you here for almost a week longer than he had to. He’s playing both sides. The Master will not help you from what your husband wants.”
I growled, then. I couldn’t bear to hear that term associated with my slave. Husband. The word stabbed through my heart worse than that fucking knife ever had. Married? He fucking married her? My Everleigh? Yes, of course he had. Watching their wedding was one of the hardest things I had ever gone through. It was the only thing that hit a chord for the love I had for her, but it didn’t bring it back. Not like I prayed it would.
“You’re right.” She said, sniffling, and wiping away a tear. “There’s no way around it. I’m going to have to go out there and become what they all want. I have to be the executioner.”
I shot up to sit straighter, shaking my head. Executioner? What the hell had I missed?
“Remember what I said. You’re stronger than him. Here,” he said, placing his finger against her temple.
Their voices were so quiet that I strained to hear.
“I am. No one can break me. Not him, not the Masters. I will show West that I’m not to be messed with. He can try to push me all he wants, but my pull is stronger. I will rise, Eleven. I will rise and I will win over everyone here. Then, when I kill my husband, I will rule,” she said, grinning. “No one will ever dare mess with me by the time I’m finished.”
A smile came to the slave’s face and I saw his sudden awe. I turned to Derek, who I knew was watching the feed on the guards, and removed the headphones.
“You’re positive twenty-three-two-eleven can be trusted? I can’t stand him being so close to Everleigh.”
“I give my word, Main Master. He won’t hurt her. He’ll stick with the plan. It’s the only way he believes he’ll escape this place.”
“Not good enough. I don’t like this. I can’t even believe I let you convince me. You never told me the extent of your relationship with him.”
Derek glanced to the monitor he watched and I could see how uncomfortable he was.
“Eleven, as they refer to him, and I, have known each other for a long time. I met him shortly after you locked him away in the White Room. I was pulling guard there for a while and we kept crossing paths. We became lovers. Years later, we’re still just as close.”
I blinked through my surprise. “Lovers? Do you … care for him? As in, love him?”
Derek wouldn’t meet my stare. “I do, but that will not interfere with my duties. I know I could never actually set him free. When he learns the truth, I believe he’ll never speak to me again. Especially after he’s returned to the White Room. I’ve accepted that.”
“Good, because you’re right. He can never leave Whitlock. None of us can.” My voice dropped and I went to take in the feed of Everleigh, again. A guard was handing her an outfit covered in plastic. She seemed nervous, but she reached out and took it while Eleven was handed some sort of plastic box.
God, how had things gotten to this point? Only months ago, she was my scared little mouse. There was nothing skittish about her reactions anymore. The slave I once loved had grown into a woman I didn’t even recognize. She held herself taller. It was as if she’d been through so much hell, she didn’t fear facing the worst. Sure, she had apprehension, but she wasn’t a sobbing, crying mess, refusing to do what she was being forced to. She wasn’t begging for mercy. No. Everleigh wouldn’t after what I’d seen.
“It appears we have a new executioner,” I said, glancing back over to Derek.
“Executioner?”
I nodded, pushing to stand. “It seems as through West is trying to trap her into going back with him. Either she gives in or she executes the slaves in City Center.” My head shook. “Fuck, I don’t like this. Something isn’t right. Eleven mentioned Master Kunken keeping them there a week longer. Have you heard anything on that?”
“He’s setting her up living quarters. Although … the guards on our side haven’t heard anything at all about the cleaning or preparing of anything. All remains quiet. Rarely does anyone speak of anything concerning Master Harper’s situation.”
“No, but Master Kunken is smarter than he gets credit for. He’s up to something,” I said, lowly. “He wouldn’t need a week. He’s either in with West, which I can see, or he has ulterior motives for her. That would be too risky. Dammit. I need to get caught up on what is happening. There’re so many angles to watch. So many sides.”
My eyes closed and I couldn’t deny how tired I felt. My body was still so weak. Still healing. I should have been resting as much as I could, yet I spent almost all night walking the fortress until dawn. I couldn’t help it. I was trapped on what I should do and what I wanted. A part of me longed to have Everleigh under my care—safe. But that part was forced and it ate at me even more. I wanted it because I knew it was right. Not because I actually felt the need to keep her protected. Nothing had turned out like it was supposed to. Lyle, my former High Leader, had all of this sorted out. After he was killed, it all went to shit. Everything I’d spent days perfecting … gone. Chaos erupted and West got the upper hand. Until I was healed, he’d have that over me. The guards were terrified to even let my name slip off their tongue. Trying to convince them I was still alive and to take my side wasn’t as easy as I had first thought it might be.
“Do you think we could try to slip a message to the new High Leader, Jarrett? I know I’ve asked before, Main Master, but there has to be something he can do.”
My lids opened and I took slow steps while I began pacing.
“He can’t be trusted. Jarrett is not for me or Master Harper. Jarrett is for Whitlock. He’s like many others, he’ll play whatever side he feels is best for his views on how this place should be. Although,” I paused, taking in what my intuition told me. “He may be for Everleigh. He’s protective enough over her. He’s fed her secrets. I’ve seen it in the footage days after my attack. The knowledge he has over this place is quite astounding. He sees it as a game, as he should. But I think it’s something more. He’s soft for her. He may even—”
Banging cut off my words. The guards were in the apartment for their search and I couldn’t help but raise one of my eyebrows in slight annoyance as I waited. A good few minutes went by before I turned back to Derek. “We need to shake things up. Jarrett won’t help Everleigh hurt or kill West. He’ll leave that for her to accomplish, but if we could discover a way to somehow make him believe there’s a chance I’m alive, he’ll have more to consider than just her or West. We need something subtle. Something that will add doubt without it being too obvious. I want to see his actions when he realizes things may not be as they seem. Who will he choose when the future of Whitlock hangs in the balance? Who will he give his loyalty to?