He’s right. We hated being there. We were at Barrington during the day and hung out at the House of Lords most nights. We weren’t at Carnage unless our fathers told us we had to be. And even then, it wasn’t like we wandered around. We did what needed to be done and then got the hell out of there.
I turn back to Bill, and he holds out a manila envelope. I rip it from his hands and tear it open, letting it fall to my feet when I remove the contents. There’s a picture of Everett lying in a hospital bed. Her arms and legs are secured in medical restraints. She’s got a patch over one eye. I wouldn’t even recognize her. She looks less like herself than she did in the video we just watched. She’s so frail. Sunken cheeks and ashen skin. She’s covered in bruises of various colors and sizes. Cuts mark her skin. Her nose appears to be broken and her lips split.
It makes me physically ill to see her like this. To know that this was once her life.
Haidyn’s shoulder bumps mine, and as I read over the information, Gavin clears his throat. “When Bill brought Eve to me, she was severely dehydrated and malnourished. She had a broken wrist, the injury obviously old, and hadn’t received proper care. She had a positive drug and rape test, along with a few bruised ribs and a collapsed lung. Plus, she needed plastic surgery on her nose due to disfigurement.”
My hands fist, wrinkling the paper.
“She was used,” Saint says.
“She was beaten,” Gavin corrects him.
“You mentioned drugs.” Haidyn looks at Gavin. “We watched Evan give her drugs. For a year, he pumped her full of who knows what… Is she an addict?”
I’ve never seen her do any drugs, but alcohol? Now I understand why she drinks so much.
“No. She’s not addicted to drugs,” Bill assures him. “She went through detox afterward.” He sighs heavily, and it makes me wonder how hard that was on her.
“Suicidal?” Haidyn growls. “They mentioned in the video when she arrived that she was suicidal. How the fuck did she try to kill herself?”
Bill drops his eyes to the floor before he glances back up at him. “First time she was in a car wreck. Garrett had someone transporting her. Eve managed to run it off the road.”
“First time?” Haidyn snaps when he doesn’t give more information.
“Second attempt, she was here in Dollhouse and tried hanging herself,” Bill states.
“Jesus,” Haidyn hisses.
My hands shake as I hold the papers. “When was this?” I gesture to them before I throw them over to Haidyn. I clear my throat, trying to wrap my head around all this information about my girl. My girl wasn’t just raped, she was beaten. She survived so much but tried to end her life twice.
“This picture was taken six years ago. This is at the end of her year at Dollhouse,” Bill answers.
“Evan said she would sell for a record-breaking price…are you saying she wasn’t sold?” Saint questions.
“I bought her,” Bill states.
I take a step forward to punch him in the face when Haidyn’s hand slaps my chest. “I’ll handle it.”
Adam steps in front of Bill to protect him. “He bought her to save her.”
“Bullshit,” I snap.
“It’s true,” Adam assures us.
“How much?” Haidyn asks skeptically.
Bill steps out from behind Adam and fixes his suit jacket. “Three million.”
My blood fucking boils. “Let me get this straight. You paid three million to fuck her? You bought her to be herdaddy?”
“No.” He shakes his head with disgust. “I’ve never slept with her.”
I snort, not believing that. “You took advantage of her,” I grind out. “You knew she was at Dollhouse and what she had been trained for. Why else would you spend that much money on her?”
“I loved her mother,” he snaps and then lowers his voice. “My wife failed her assignment and was forced to become a breeder. Garrett paid a lot of money to get what he wanted from my wife. I knew Everett existed, but I couldn’t get my hands on her. After Garrett took Everett to Carnage, I couldn’t get close to her. I offered him money. I tried everything to convince him to give her to me. He wanted sons, not a daughter, but he refused. Said he found a use for her. At the time, I didn’t know what he meant. After hesent her to Dollhouse, it took me a year to get her out of it. But I promise I spent all that time trying.”
“All this time,” Haidyn whispers. “You told me about the breeders that night at the cathedral when you informed me of what Charlotte’s future was if she failed, but you didn’t mention Eve or your wife to me.”
