Total pages in book: 266
Estimated words: 250787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1254(@200wpm)___ 1003(@250wpm)___ 836(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 250787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1254(@200wpm)___ 1003(@250wpm)___ 836(@300wpm)
“Pretty much,” Adam agrees.
I sit back in my seat and let out a deep breath.
Adam’s boss hands him the manila folder that he and Bill had when he came on board, and he holds it out to me. I look at him skeptically before I take it and open it up. There’s a picture of a woman. She’s tied to a chair, hood-covered head down, blood covering her naked body and floor. “Who is this?” I ask.
“Next page,” he says.
I turn to the next one, and Kashton speaks before I can. “What the fuck, man. That’s your chosen.”
“Yeah.” Adam sighs, and I look up at him.
“I don’t understand.” I hand the folder to Saint, so he can look at it.
“When I was searching through Charlotte’s laptop, I came across some information that I looked into a little more.”
“Meaning?” I growl because, as far as I’m concerned, he never found anything.
“She was Charlotte’s initiation.”
I shake my head. “No. Charlotte would never—”
“She didn’t know.” Adam interrupts me. “It’s not Charlotte’s fault what happened. Hell, every single one of us have done what the Lords wanted with no questions asked.”
“What happened to her?” Saint asks. I haven’t filled them in on what all Charlotte did. They know of an initiation and an assignment but I left out the details. “What was cut from her upper back?”
“Lords brand,” Adam answers.
“What’s on her inner thigh? What does it say?” Saint lifts it closer to his face to read it.
“It’s a barcode. All slaves at Dollhouse have them,” Bill answers.
“Did you brand her when she was your chosen?” Kashton asks.
Adam shakes his head. “Wasn’t me.”
“Why would she have the Lords crest?” Kash inquires.
“I don’t know the story. I can only guess. You and Haidyn were forced to kill your chosens, I was already gone. Ash was on the run, but technically, she was already Saint’s Lady by that time. So I think they had our chosens taken out.”
“Have anything you want to tell us?” I bark at Bill. “What do you know about the brand and barcode?” My wife was branded for initiation. Maybe Adam’s chosen was from a founder? No. That can’t be because they would have made her a breeder, not killed her at such a young age.
Bill shakes his head, and I fist my hands. “I told you; my wife kept me in the dark.”
“Forgive me that I don’t believe you,” I snap.
“When was the last time you saw her?” Kash continues, staring at Adam’s chosen in the photo.
“It’s been a while,” Adam answers vaguely.
I let out a long breath. “So you’re saying that my wife killed an innocent woman.” I thought that it was weird that Charlotte even had an initiation to begin with. And that it didn’t make sense that she removed her brand and then had Charlotte kill her. I thought it had more to do with Charlotte than the mystery woman.
“Yeah.”
“I shot her,” she says softly. “And every time I close my eyes, I see her.”
“Charlotte can never know about this,” I tell him, and they all nod. This will destroy her. She did what she thought needed to be done.
Bill looks at me. “You had a deal with Isabella.”
“You had a deal with her?” Saint barks.
“What the fuck, Haidyn?” Kashton snaps. “For how long?”
Bill raises his hands to both of them.
I keep my attention on him. “I did.” My eyes slide to Adam for a brief second, and he sighs heavily.
It was right after we finished training, and she showed up unannounced at my house and gave me the ultimatum—me or Adam. I gave her me. It only lasted for a couple of years. She’d come over, and I’d fuck her. It took everything in me not to kill her. But the Lords already thought I killed our fathers, so if I killed her, I was afraid they would send someone new to Carnage to put my brothers through hell, and I wouldn’t do that to them. Not again. Now I realize she came up with a better plan—Charlotte. “What about it?”
“Her ‘death’ means that deal is now void. She kept her word.” I snort at that because that’s the only one she’s ever kept. “That’s why Adam had to fake his death. It didn’t need to be a big show. Just one that was believable.”
“I’ll make a new one,” I say. “I’ll talk to the Lords.”
“No.” Adam shakes his head. “You’ve done enough for everyone else, Haidyn. I’ve made my own deal this time.”
The plane falls silent. No one dares to ask what he’s done, but we all know the answer is sitting right in front of us. He went to Bill and offered up something he couldn’t refuse.
I run a hand through my hair.
“What’s Dollhouse have to do with you?” Kash asks Adam. “If you guys didn’t know where it was, then how can the Lords connect it to you?”