Page 96 of Rising Queen (Blood Empire 1)

Chapter 25

Harlow

Stretching, I let outa groan of pleasure. Fuck, that feeling of a good stretch is almost orgasmic. Blinking my sleep filled eyes open, I look around the red hued room.I’m still in the dungeon; what the fuck?What am I doing here?

The events of the night before come flooding back. Neo. Daggers, blood, cum, orgasms, blood... the fucking blood. I’m fucked up, I know it. I really do enjoy the copper taste, but don't judge me; there are people out there eating drywall and toilet paper. I’ve seen a few episodes of“My Strange Addiction”,and I know that I’m not as bad asTHAT.

Although it had crossed my mind that maybe I’m part vampire.Wouldn't that be awesome? Ripping people's necks out with my teeth.I shiver with delight at the very thought. Ireallyam fucked up.

Sliding out of bed, I pad over to the en-suite bathroom and take a hot shower, washing off the dried sweat. I look down between my thighs, expecting Neo’s dried cum to be there; only there's nothing, I’m perfectly clean.

Furrowing my brow, I look around and find a dirty face cloth sitting on the counter.Did I sleep through him cleaning me up?How could I be so careless?And why would he clean me up?Fuck, and I fell asleep with him in the same room as me. I must be losing my touch.

Or the crazy fucker is finding a way into your fucked up and damaged heart,an unhelpful voice states in the back of my mind.

Ugh, just what I need... feelings. Shaking my head, I finish cleaning up and wrap the towel around my body.

Shit. I don't have any clothes here, and I’m not putting on my leather pants stained in my own juices. Oh well, this is my club, and it's not like everyone who works here hasn't already seen my naked body. So, me walking around in nothing but a towel won’t be shocking to anyone.

Leaving behind everything to be cleaned later, I head upstairs.What time is it?There are no windows down here, and I didn't bring my phone with me, so I can't check the time.

When I get to the main part of the club, the room is lit up by the ceiling lights. Again, I still don’t have a fucking clue what time it is because there are no fucking windows. But there are a few people milling around, so something tells me it has to be at least noon. No one but Evie, Roxy, me, or the guys are ever in earlier than that.

I get a fewhellosas I walk through the main part of the club past the stage. I really should head upstairs to get dressed, but I'm so damn thirsty after everything last night; my mouth feels like sandpaper.

Roxy isn't at the bar right now, so I slip behind there and grab myself a bottle of water. Downing the ice-cold liquid, it hits me in all the right spots.

Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I see a tweaked-out looking Evie. She comes running out of her office like a bat out of hell. When she locks eyes with me, her face is filled with an excited grin.

“Oh, thank god, you're up. Neo told us you were probably gonna end up spending the night down there. I was gonna come get you myself since it's noon and no one had heard from you yet. I’m glad you're here. Oh my god, Low! Like, oh my god!” she rushes out, and I chuckle at her excited blabbering.

“E, breathe,” I giggle. She snaps her mouth shut, closes her eyes, and takes in a deep breath. “Good, now what's going on?”

She smiles wide again. “I found something!” she squeals.

My eyes widen. “Really?” I ask, hope lacing the word. “You better not be fucking with me, E. I don’t think my heart could take it.”

She quickly shakes her head. “I’m not. Come with me,” she says, grabbing my hand and dragging me back to her office.

She shuts the door behind us and takes a seat at the desk. She opens her laptop and presses play.

It’s security footage of the back alleyway of the Rack Shack. “I have been checking the footage of the previous night every morning like I have been since we set these up, and karma must fucking LOVE us because I just hit the jackpot. Well, it feels like it, since it's been months, and we’ve gotten nothing and nowhere,” she says just as a woman comes into the camera frame.

It’s the fucking cunt face, Dina. She stands there, looking around nervously. Then out of the dark comes another person, an older man.

“Low, do you know who that man is?” Evie grins. I look from the screen to her.

“He looks familiar. But I can't see his face.” My brow furrows as I continue to watch.

“Just wait,” she bounces in her seat.

We keep watching as Dina and this mystery man start to have heated words. The man rubs his face in frustration and turns to face the camera at just the right angle for me to see who he is.

It’s Richard fucking Baxter. “Dick.”

“Fucking Dick,” Evie giggles.

“Evie, this may not be much and may not hold up as evidence to the police, but I know, deep down in my fucking soul, that he has something to do with the missing girls, and I bet that bitch is helping him. There's no way that they are entering that club and never leaving. There's more to this, and we need to get to the bottom of it."

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