Page 143 of Slaughter

“You have kept her against her will,” Chloe chimes in.

“Chloe!” Tristan snaps.

Alex gasps at her words. They all begin to argue. Alex is screaming, and Chloe is arguing with Tristan. I hang my head and rub my temples. Closing my eyes, I try to take a deep breath. I had too much to drink. Maybe two too many. “Just stop,” I tell them. But it’s not loud enough. Their shouts mix with my ringing ears. My teeth clench and my body leans to the left as the limo takes a sharp turn. “Just stop.”

“No,” I hear Alex snap. “I’m not letting you do this to yourself …”

“Shut up!” I shout, lifting my head. The limo falls silent. Taking in one deep breath after another, I open my eyes. “Just. Shut. Up,” I growl. “I just want to go one day without arguing. Without having to fight with myself or anyone else.”

Everyone just stares at me. I focus on Avery sitting across from me. His right ankle on his left knee and arms crossed over his chest. “Do you have a plan?” He nods once. “Does it involve me in anyway?”

He shakes his head and finally speaks. “Tristan, Kayn, and I will handle it.”

“What about me …?”

“Tristan’s men will be with you and Chloe.” He ignores the fact that Alex is with us. But for all I know, they could not be planning on going after Vaughn until days from now.

“Where?” Chloe asks.

“A safe place,” he answers simply, not removing his blue eyes from mine.

“What if I tell you I wanna help?” I argue. “Vaughn …”

“I’ll tell you absolutely not.” His reply is instant.

I huff. “I could be useful.”

“You’d only be a hinder,” he counters. “Vaughn wouldn’t think twice. And I refuse to have a repeat of what happened. I want you protected at all times and out of his sight.”

“Who the hell is Vaughn?” Alex asks, her voice softer than before.

When telling her my past, I never mentioned Vaughn because I never knew he was behind the scenes. I mean, I knew he was bad news, but I never thought he would go as far as to record what their father did to me. And then how he treated me when they kidnapped me.

“Our older brother,” Tristan answers.

She frowns. “Why are you all looking for him?”

Avery’s eyes finally meet hers, and he matches her look of disgust. “Because he is the one who hurt Bunny.”

_______________

We come to a stop and get out one by one. I’m the last one to exit. I step onto the rock driveway and look up at the … what I can only think of is a hotel. Most of the front is made of big windows. But they’re tinted, making them look black in the night. The building is a dark red brick and looks to be five stories. Not sure, my count is a little off since my sight is a little blurry. “What is this place?” I ask.

“Mine,” Tristan answers.

“Is it a hotel?”

“No.”

I stumble on the driveway, and Avery grabs my hand, pulling me forward up the white rock stairs. They’re uneven, and even in my Chucks, I manage to stumble a little. The alcohol still lingers more than I would like. Now that the flight is over, I want my drunkenness to clear as well.

The large glass door swings open, and a man stands before us in a black and white tuxedo. He bows to Tristan. “Master.”

I snort, and the sound bounces off the tan walls and shiny black floors. Everyone ignores me.

“Are all the rooms set up?” Tristan asks the poor man.

“Yes, Master,” he assures him.

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