Page 30 of Lord of Debauchery

“Yeah, I am.”

I glared at him again as I reached into my purse, yanking them out and slapping them into his hand.

“Come on.”

I hadn’t fully understood the extent of just how many assassins had surrounded the place, trying to eliminate the four men who’d been at the center of their attack. Blood was running down several walls, glass broken everywhere. The amount of destruction was horrific, seeming to occur from something that lasted much longer than it had.

Although I admitted I wasn’t entirely certain of the timing. Everything had seemed buried inside thick fog. I was left standing in the kitchen for about a minute as the four men conferred and when Beckham returned, he stared at me for what seemed like an eternity. The man didn’t trust me any more than I did him.

Even if the night before had been unusually spectacular.

I’d never felt so alive, so electrified. Just being able to let go, to be myself around him had been fantastic, the most exciting thing I’d done in years. The push and pull between us had made the carnal adventure even more enticing.

But this was no happily ever after, only a game where a lot of people ended up dead. I had no intentions of becoming one of the lifeless bodies. I didn’t fight him as we left the house, feeling numb inside. The only other thing I felt was terror, more so than I’d thought I’d ever be forced to experience again. It brought back too many horrible memories, the kind that had once given me constant nightmares.

We made our way from the now locked B & B toward the garage. All three soldiers were doing their best to scan the surrounding area. There was no sign of how the assassins had gotten here, which meant they’d walked through the woods, possible from the main road.

Once at the garage, Camden took control of opening the door, ushering us inside. He grabbed my bag, shoving it into my trunk. I was pushed into the backseat, sandwiched between James and Beckham, Jeff in the passenger seat and Camden driving. The cramped space was another reminder how dangerous the situation was, or maybe that I was stuck in the middle of a nightmare.

Outside, Camden floored it, weaving his way down the curved main driveway as if he knew it like the back of his hand.

“Did you contact the pilot?” Beckham asked.

“He’s on standby,” Jeff answered as he glanced over his shoulder.

“Good. I have a feeling we’re not done with the bastards yet.”

“What the fuck is this show all about?” James asked from beside me.

I remained quiet, trying to glean every word.

“That’s exactly what it is,” Camden snarled. “They’re putting us on notice that the real show will begin when they say.”

“Any lead on who the fuck they are?” Jeff asked.

Beckham sighed. “No, but my father had soldiers searching the streets, talking to our associates.”

Associates. Jesus. This was like sitting in on an episode of The Sopranos.

With them having a jet, I guessed they were heading to the small airport only locals knew about. When Camden took a left instead of a right out of the driveway, a sick sense pooled into my stomach.

“Where are we going?” I hated the quaver in my voice. That wasn’t like me.

“A small pitstop. I’m curious, my little fighter. Do you live on the property?” Beckham asked as he slowly turned his head in my direction.

“You were in my bedroom.” What was he getting at?

He had his elbow on the raised area under the small backseat window, slowly rubbing his index finger across his bottom lip. “You will learn that lying to me isn’t in your best interest.”

“Why would I be lying to you?”

Camden threw us a look in the rearview mirror. It was obvious I was the butt of some joke between them. They’d found my little house. Shit. I hadn’t through they’d go that far.

“You have a house on Lakeshore Drive,” James answered. “You found a sweet deal on a quaint Cape Cod for just over five hundred thousand, which was a steal eighteen months ago in this area. You worked a deal with the bank that included the mortgage on the bed and breakfast, and I must admit you proctored yourself one of the best loans I’ve seen in a long time. While you did put almost one hundred thousand dollars down for both, you made certain you kept a good share of your earnings to handle payment of renovations to the bed and breakfast. Unfortunately, you didn’t anticipate needing a new well and sewer pump or the number of electrical problems you were forced to face. That has left you with four thousand six hundred fifty-two dollars in Franklin Savings with another CD with ten thousand in it. You were banking on the tourist season.”

I slowly turned my head in James’ direction, my heart thudding in my chest. Their words were meant to show me they knew everything about me and could use whatever they wanted against me. Now I had to worry just how far they’d gone into my past. A lump formed in my throat, another wave of fear more debilitating than the one before. “What do you want from me?”

“It’s simple, my beautiful captive. Truth and respect. You have excellent skills with a weapon, which of course tells me you have used one before, likely in the line of duty. Is that the case?”

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