CHAPTER FIVE

AVERY

I BUTTON UP MY SHIRT and turn to the bed. Presleigh lies on her stomach, her arms fanned out and head to the side, facing me. And I want nothing more than to pick her up in my arms and carry her out of this house. But I can’t. Not like this. Certain steps must be taken in order to ensure I get what I want. I turn and walk into her bathroom. Bending down, I pick up her cell off the floor and go to her call log. Last incoming call was from Preston. I smile. And he’s called ten times since then. He knows I’m here, and she told him that I’m looking for him. Good. All part of my plan. Setting the phone back down, I turn and walk out of the bathroom. Going over to her dresser, I start opening her drawers. Not looking for anything specific, just doing it simply ’cause I can.

Drawer after drawer, I find nothing but clothes. After shutting the last one, my eyes land on the joint she has lying on top of the dresser. I pick it up and walk back into the bathroom and flush it. She won’t be doing shit like that anymore.

I pull my cell out of my pocket while making my way into the kitchen.

“Hello, sir.” Kayn answers on the first ring.

“Did Dennis make the call?” I ask although I already know he did.

“Yes. We’re following him now, sir.”

I yank open a drawer by the sink and reach into it. Turning my hand, I feel along the top of the drawer. Gotcha! I feel the brass key and yank it free from the tape holding it in place. Some things never change. “Don’t bother,” I tell Kayn, holding the key. “There’s a few things I need you to do for me.”

“What are they?”

“Meet me at her house. I want surveillance on the inside and outside perimeter.”

There’s a long pause. “Are you there now, sir?” he asks.

“Yes,” I snap. “Does that make a difference on whether you’re gonna do your job?”

“No, sir! I was just …”

“Good. Then get your ass here and get the cameras in place!” I bark out the order and then hang up.

Placing the phone and key in my pocket, I make my way back into her master bedroom. I lean up against the doorframe and cross my arms over my chest. She hasn’t moved, and the urge to remove my clothes and crawl between her legs again is overwhelming. My cock hardens just looking at her. But I was telling her the truth, that was our last time like that. Next time I take her, she will be sober, I’ll be rough, and she’ll be on her knees begging me. Tears in her eyes and trembling lips. I smile. I’ll have her exactly where I want her.

I don’t know how long I stand there staring at her, but it must be a while ’cause I undo my arms and spin around when I hear the front door to her house open. Kayn walks toward me seconds later. “I’m ready to set up, sir.”

Darrell, another one of my guys, walks in behind him, but instead of looking at me, his eyes go to the naked brunette lying in her bed. I reach behind me and pull her bedroom door shut. His eyes find mine. “Get the cameras up and running,” I order and then walk past them, heading to the living room.

PRESLEIGH

“What’s wrong with you?” Alex yells over the music.

I shake my head at her and holler back, “Nothing.” Grabbing the shot of Fireball off the bar, I throw it back. I close my eyes and hang my head, taking in a deep breath from the burn.

“You’re not yourself tonight,” she continues, shoving another shot in front of me.

“Tired.” I grab it and swallow it as well.

“Bullshit!” She places her hand on my shoulder and spins me around to face her. “What is it?”

I look over her pale blue eyes and bleach blond hair. She raises her brows and places her hands on her narrow hips. “Spill it.”

I run a hand through my hair. “I’m just …” Confused? Concerned? Going insane? I woke up this morning naked in my bed, my shower still running with an ache between my legs trying to remember what the hell happened last night. What was real and what was a dream. I know I spoke to my brother. The twenty missed calls I had verified that part. And he’s continued to call me all day, but I’ve ignored them all. But Avery? Was he really there? Did we have sex? Did I say something I’ll regret? Like I love him? Or worse? Tell him the truth about what happened all those years ago?

“Presleigh?” she snaps.

“Tired,” I repeat. “Just tired.”

Alex eyes me skeptically, and I give her a fake smile. She rolls them but turns to the bartender. Holding up two fingers, she orders more shots.

An hour and countless drinks later, the alcohol has set in, and I realize it was a dream. He wasn’t really there, and we didn’t have sex. I just chalk it up to some sick fantasy. And I hate how much I wish it was true.

Alex grabs my arm, and I allow her to lead me away from the bar and down a hallway to a private room that reads greed on the door.

“There’s my girl.” Milton, a guy I’ve been sleeping with for the past three years, sits on a couch with his arms out wide when we walk in. “Come,” he orders, patting his thighs.

Like the lap dog he thinks I am, I obey. Plopping down, he places his hands on my face and pulls me down for a kiss. It’s wet and messy, but I don’t pull away.

Alex sits down on her friend’s lap. The guy is a major drug dealer here in New York. Whatever you want, he gets it.

“Brent, get our waitress to bring the girls some drinks,” Milton orders his other friend who sits in a chair. Then he looks back at me. “Where you been, baby?”

“The bar,” I answer and lean into him. Forget about Avery. I’m done seeing him. There’s a disco ball hanging from the ceiling, and someone turns it on, making all the colors bounce off the walls. I blink a few times, thinking the room is spinning.

“You okay?” he asks me.

I nod my head and close my eyes.

“Here. Give her some of this,” his friend offers, handing Milton a baggie full of what I know is cocaine.

“No.” I push it away.

“Babe? Come on. It’ll help you sober up, and then you can drink more.” He places the bag in front of me again.

“I said no.” I push off him and storm out of the room. I run into a few people as I make my way through the packed club, not really knowing where I’m headed. The place is crowded. Seven Deadly Sins just opened last week, and tonight is our first time here. It already has a reputation. Word spreads fast in this town.

The hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and I come to a stop. I spin around, looking to see why I all of a sudden feel like I’m being watched.

Is he here?

Could Avery have followed me tonight? Is he still in town?

It wouldn’t be a stretch. He’s showed up twice now in the past two weeks. And I have a feeling he’s not leaving New York until he locates my brother.

Someone bumps into me, and it causes me to spin around. I trip over my heels and fall into a set of arms. “I’m sorry …” My words trail off when I look up into a set of familiar brown eyes.

They narrow on me. “What the fuck are you doing here?” my brother demands.

“Preston?” I blink, confused.

“Fuck, Pres.” He grips my upper arm and starts to drag me through the crowd.

“Ow.” I whine, trying to keep up with him. “You’re hurting me.”

“I don’t have the time to babysit your ass.” I can barely hear him over the music.

“What are you doing here?” I ask. Last I heard, he was in London. But that was a month ago. He didn’t sound like he was in New York when I spoke to him last night.

He doesn’t answer. Instead, he pulls me through the exit, and there’s a black Hummer parked right outside.

“Preston …”

He opens the back door and shoves me into it before jumping in himself. I turn on him. “What the fuck are you doing?” I snap.

“Business,” he says.

“Business?” I repeat as the driver stomps on the gas. “If you’re here for work, then why did you just drag me out of the club?”

He pulls his cell out of his pocket and starts typing away. “Because you’re business, Pres,” he says.

I sit back in my seat, cross my arms over my chest, and let out a huff. “Take me home,” I demand.

“That’s exactly where you’re going,” he says matter-of-factly.

I ignore him. He always thought he was my boss, and it just got worse after our parents died. Preston treats me as though I’m still sixteen. We were never close. He was like them—our father and Avery’s father. He liked the girls, the drugs, and the money. I, however, didn’t find myself in a bottle or high until I was older. I despised my father for his life choices. And I hated Preston for looking up to him and wanting to follow in his footsteps. I never understood it. The need for the power, for control. I never cared what others thought of me. Well, anyone but Avery. I wanted him to think I was a good person and wanted him to see another life with me. A way out from under his father. Then there was my mother. She was no better than the man she married. She never hurt the girls, but she never stopped him either. She liked the mansion, summer villas, furs, and expensive jewelry he gave her. She told me some are born lucky and some are born to serve. We were the lucky ones. The older I got, the more I began to understand how wrong she was.

A phone rings, breaking the silence. “Hello?” Preston answers. “Perfect.” He slaps his hand on his thigh and smiles like an idiot. “I’m about thirty minutes out. Dropping off Pres and then I’ll be there.” He nods to himself. “See you then.”

I look away from him and out my window at the New York City lights that light up the sky. They blur under my drunken state.

“I’m dropping you off at home,” he says. I ignore him. We’ve already established that. “Then I’ll be back later to pick you up.”

“Don’t bother,” I say, still looking out the window.

He grips my thigh, and my head snaps to face him. “Stop touching me, Preston!” I yell, trying to shove him off, but he doesn’t let go.

“It wasn’t a request,” he growls.

“I don’t know what the hell is wrong with you, but you need to drop the tough guy act.” I punch him in the arm. His grip just tightens. “I don’t want you here. And I sure as hell am not going anywhere with you.”

“You’ll do whatever I say, Pres.”

My jaw tightens, and my teeth grind. I want to knock the shit out of him, but I know he’ll hit me back. It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve dished it out. And he wouldn’t just slap me like Avery did. When Preston starts, he doesn’t stop. My father never taught him that. You fight till your death.

“Why don’t you do something about it?” I demand, following my brother down Mr. Decker’s hallway. We both used to spend a lot of time here but each for different reasons. Now that our parents have passed, we live here.

“Because I don’t want to do anything about it,” he answers.

I grab his arm and yank him to a stop. It takes all my strength. He spins around to face me. His hands come out, and he shoves me backward. Hard. I hit a wall, and he gets in my face. “Shut the fuck up, Pres!”

My eyes narrow up on his. “You wanna be like him? Dad?” I verify. “Preston this is wrong. What you’re doing is …”

He slaps me across the face, cutting off my words. Pressing his body into mine, I whimper. It’s not the first time he’s put his hands on me, but I’ve never told anyone. Avery would kick his ass, and that would just start trouble. Trouble that I don’t want Avery getting into. “Shut up, Pres!” he whispers harshly. “Keep your head low and your fucking mouth closed.”

Tears begin to sting my eyes when he grips my chin tightly and forces me to look up at him. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll pretend you don’t give a damn about these women.” He lets go of my chin and runs his knuckles down the side of my face. I physically shake in fear. Our parents are dead, and Avery isn’t home at the moment. I have no one to protect me from him. I shouldn’t have pushed him. “If you start to care too much, you may find yourself in their position.”

“Preston!”

I relax when I hear Mr. Decker call out his name. He’s not the first person I’d want to help me, but I’ll take it.

Preston takes a step back from me and turns to face him. “Go to the cellar. There are plenty of women to play with down there.” Mr. Decker’s eyes meet mine and he adds, “She doesn’t belong to you.”

I hate how they refer to me as Avery’s property. But it’s better than the alternative.

Then he spins around and walks away from me. Before Mr. Decker can say anything else, I run to Avery’s room and slam the door shut behind me and lock it.

“How did you find me?” I ask.

Of course, he doesn’t answer. He takes my subject change as if I’ve agreed to go anywhere with him and lets go of my thigh.

“Max will stay back at your house with you.”

“Who the hell is Max?” I demand.

He points at the man driving us around.

“Preston, I don’t know what is going on, but I don’t need a babysitter.” What the hell is my brother’s problem, and since when is he concerned about my safety?

Instead of arguing with me, he sits back and makes a phone call.

I fist my hands in my lap. Whatever. I’ll allow him to take me home, and his buddy to stay, but I’m gonna lock myself in my room and drink myself into a coma. That was my original plan for tonight anyway. I just wanted to do it with Alex, but I guess I’ll do it alone instead.