Page 136 of Destroying Everleigh

He pulled the phone from his pocket, tapping a few buttons on it before he placed it in a secure location within my room. I had no idea where he’d put it that she wouldn’t immediately see, but from the look on her face, she seemed too distraught to notice much of anything. Her eyes were rimmed red, and the glaze over them told me she’d been crying.

“Thank you.” She shot him a small smile—one that didn’t reach her eyes. She was much thinner than she was now, but I loved her new curves. She didn’t seem drunk, not that I expected her to be like she claimed. I watched with horror as she raised the glass to her lips and took a long pull of her beverage. The same beverage he’d slipped something into.

I wanted to yell at her, to tell her not to accept a drink from that piece of shit, but this wasn’t the present; this had happened three years ago, and the damage had already been done. They passed a few words back and forth, neither of them flirting. It seemed like a casual conversation, one that wouldn’t lead to sex.

Everleigh finished her glass and set it off to the side. They continued talking back and forth. Mostly about school, soccer, andme.

Her hand moved to her head almost abruptly, her gaze flickering in and out of focus as she swayed a bit. I could see the confusion on her face, the way her shoulders started to relax of their own accord, like she didn’t have the energy to hold them up any longer.

“You okay?” Dakota asked her with mock concern.

She furrowed her eyebrows. “I-I don’t feel so good,” she slurred. Her breathing had grown deeper, the result of the drug that had been forced in her system.

“Why don’t you lay down?” he offered. “I’ll give Ash a call and tell him to hurry his ass up.”

She hesitated for a moment, her eyelids growing heavy. Finally, she nodded. Dakota stood and slipped out of the room, not bothering to take the phone with him. Everleigh laid on my bed, repositioning herself in the center. Her chest rose and fell in a slower motion than could be considered normal. After a few moments, she was out.

Dakota returned, wasting no fucking time. He jerked her shoes from her body, dropping them on the floor. She mumbled something incoherently, but didn’t wake. My heart felt like it was shattering into a million fucking pieces. This had never been consensual. Jameson was right. Somethinghadbeen off. He listened to her when I refused. Guilt wormed its way inside of me, eating me whole. I never deserved her.

When my brother had her completely naked, he stripped down and settled himself between her legs, not even bothering to use a condom. He thrusted inside of her, heat searing through my eyes at the sight. Her head lolled to the side with the sudden jerk of her body and his low groan filled the speaker, bleeding out and skittering through my ears. He wasn’t gentle about it, either. He slammed into her again, and this time, her eyes fluttered open.

“Ashton?” She whimpered, squinting through the haze that must have been cast upon her.

He didn’t reply, just drove into her again and again. A moan fluttered past her lips, and I saw it the moment she realized it wasn’t me. “Dakota?” she breathed out, a hint of panic to her tone. “No. No…” she trailed off, shoving against his chest. “Stop.” But he didn’t. He just kept fucking her, and she inevitably passed out again.

It wasn’t long before I stormed in and yanked him off of her. Fists went flying and I beat him as much as I could withoutactually killing the bastard. The fight must have woken Everleigh again, because she was staring at me, completely disoriented.

“You’re nothing but a whore, Everleigh,” I’d said, among other things. But my head was too fucked right now to comprehend anything else in the video.

She never cheated on me. She was taken advantage of by my own flesh and blood. I turned the video off and grabbed my phone, my fingers flying across the screen until I found Jameson’s contact. I pressed the call icon and listened, waiting for him to pick up. But of course, it went straight to voicemail. I tried Kash next. Nothing.

Pure agony tore through me, twisting my stomach until I was dying on the inside. If I had my car, I’d drive right over to Dakota’s and finish what I started all those years ago. Except this time, he wouldn’t walk away from it.

The front door opening and closing sounded from downstairs, sending my spine ramrod straight. I snatched up my phone, hurrying down the steps. Adrenaline was pulsing through me like white-hot rage.

Jameson and Kash looked at me in surprise, and I couldn’t even imagine what they saw when looking at me.

My heart was beating a mile a minute, tears burning the back of my eyes as I fought against them. I was just thankful my parents were already in bed for the night, because there was no time to hash all this out with them. I had to go back for her.

“You okay, man?” Jameson asked, looking me over with concern. I knew he was pissed at me, knew he didn’t want to leave Everleigh in the first place. I should have listened.

I shook my head. “Everleigh,” I began, my body vibrating with turmoil. “Dakota roofied her. She never fucked him willingly.” My voice cracked, raw emotion slicing through my chest.

He reeled back, panic contorting his features. Even Kash looked at me like he was seconds away from ripping me to shreds. But there was no time for a fight. I needed her. To tell her I was sorry. To make her understand. To tell her I never meant it when I said she was worthless earlier. Which I hadn’t.

“How do you know?” Kash demanded.

I swallowed, the images from that video attacking the forefront of my mind. “He had a collection of material in this safe under his bed.” I shook my head, wincing. “There was a disc with Eve’s name on it. So, I watched it.”

Jameson stumbled, his back hitting the front door. His hands tore through his brown hair, a look of pain skittering into his facial features. I opened my mouth, ready to tell him that we had to go get her, but my phone dinged with an incoming message. Sighing, I whipped it out of my pocket. An unknown number flashed across my screen and I unlocked it, glancing down at the caption attached to some video.

Thanks, we had fun.

“What the hell?” I muttered.

“What is it?” Kash asked, moving to join me. Jameson hesitated, still reeling from the information I’d just given him, but he was joining me on my other side moments later.

I shrugged. “Not sure.”

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