Page 25 of Slaughter

Her brother actually did me a favor by fucking up.

The door opens, and my butler walks in with his hands behind his back and dressed in a black three-piece suit, thankfully ending this conversation. “They’ve arrived, sir.”

“Thank you, Marvin.” I nod and abandon my study, Tristan following behind me.

We both come to stand in the foyer of my home when the double doors open and in walks Kayn. He has that usual look of hatred on his face, and he’s carrying an unconscious Presleigh in his arms.

Her head bobs, then it flops back, exposing her thin and elegant neck. Having my hand wrapped around it made me hard. I loved that she didn’t even try to fight me that night in the bathroom of the club. That seems so long ago now. Her right arm dangles to the side and long legs hang over the other as he carries her limp body.

“She’s a handful,” he announces.

My brother grunts as if to say I told you so.

“How so?” I question, wanting details. It’s been almost ten hours since I heard him take her from her home in New York. I haven’t spoken to him, knowing they were traveling on my private jet.

“She woke up on the plane and stabbed Darrell in the arm with a fork.”

At the mention of Darrell, he walks in behind him. Shirtless with a white bandage wrapped around his upper arm, he has dried blood running down to his wrist.

“How did she get a fork?” I ask, smiling. She’s got bigger balls than her brother. But she always has. That’s why I fell in love with her in the first place. She’s also afraid to fly. That’s another reason they needed to drug her. I knew she’d freak out in the air.

“I was eating, and she grabbed it from me,” Darrell explains. “I didn’t think she’d wake up. I gave her enough to keep her out for the entire flight. Or so I thought.”

I arch a brow. Maybe I need to kill him since he fucked up and let a woman get the better of him and can’t do a simple job.

Kayn comes to a stop in front of us. Some of her brown hair covers her face, and my brother pushes it away to reveal her to us. It’s void of any makeup; her full lips are slightly parted, and there’s a handprint across her right cheek and a bruise on her shoulder. Her bottom lip has a cut on it. I told Kayn that no one touches her, but I meant sexually. I knew my men would do whatever was necessary to get her—even if that meant smacking her around.

She wears a white tank top that has ridden up, exposing her flat stomach and a black jeweled belly piercing. With a pair of white cotton shorts. That’s what she must have worn to bed.

“Now I understand why you want to play with her,” my brother says as if he could forget how beautiful she is.

I never did.

Kayn goes to step around us, but I hold out my arms. He hands her off without protest.

Her frail body sags in my arms, but she doesn’t make a sound. “How much did you give her the second time?” I ask because it should be wearing off soon.

Darrell smiles. “I gave her a double dose. She should be out until later tonight,” he says, proud of himself.

I give them my back and begin climbing the winding staircase to her new room.

PRESLEIGH

I wake to a pounding headache and dry mouth. I dig my face into a soft pillow and moan in agony. My entire body is sore. I lick my cracked lips and hiss in a breath when I feel a pain in my neck. It’s stiff.

Sitting up, I brush my wild hair out of my face and open my eyes. I blink a few times, trying to adjust to the darkness. A lamp is on a table to my left but dimmed. My head falls forward, and I place my hands over it.

What did I do?

My cheek throbs, and I pull my hands away to see cuts on them and my wrists. I flinch when I touch my face.

I look around and realize I’m in an unfamiliar bedroom. Bright white walls with five big bay windows to my right. Blood red drapes are open, showing me the night. The floor is a dark hardwood with a big area rug to match the drapes and comforter. The bed is a white four-post sleigh bed. A white leather couch sits in front of the windows. A chair sits over in the corner, and in front of me, there’s a fireplace. It’s the exact opposite of my black and gray décor. Not to mention, this bedroom is the size of half my house.

Where am I?

Did I drink too much last night? I remember going out with Alex and then Preston showing up and dragging me out. He had taken me home. I opened a bottle of Fireball the moment I got inside my house. I don’t remember passing out, but I do remember waking up at one point …

A strange sound wakes me up. I open my eyes and see my bedroom door still shut. I lie back down, knowing it’s Max, my brother’s idiot friend. Maybe Preston is back.

---