She raised her eyebrows in challenge, but I only stared. The company had been her life. We’d fought together but for different reasons, and I’d thought hers just as strong.
She kept up a steady glower. “If you do want to know my opinion, I still believe in our grandfather. He was the person who had my back and gave me opportunities I am endlessly grateful for. But his company is a different matter. It might have been his legacy, but there are too many unanswered questions about how it operated and the evils that took place in its name. We haven’t even started getting to the bottom of that, and you come here telling me you’re running away?”
I locked my jaw, sullen. It was the only way I could handle this conversation.
She wasn’t done. “What happened with Lovelyn?”
A bolt of pain struck through me.
Mila’s focus sharpened. “Talk, because there’s something you need to know. I’m only going to tell you if I hear your side of the story first.”
“We’re nothing to each other.”
“Why?”
“She deserves better than me.”
Outrage filled her eyes. “Are you kidding? You made her happy. That’s what she deserves.”
The fuck it was. “You said yourself you couldn’t imagine how she’d put up with me. Now she doesn’t have to, you’re complaining?”
Her mouth fell open. She closed it, sorrow flickering over her features. “You took that seriously? I’m sorry. I was teasing you, like siblings are supposed to. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I didn’t even know you had any.” She palmed her neck. “I realise how ridiculous that sounds. Of course you do. God, did I contribute to this mess?”
Some injured part of me inside panged. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It does. I fucked up. I’m really sorry for what I said. I wish we’d been raised together so we had any kind of shared history or insider stories I could lean on now. You don’t know what it means to me to have a brother. You’re my family. I’ll put you first any time, and one day we’ll get this sibling thing right, but before then, you need to hear this. Lovelyn is spiralling. She thinks you don’t care about her.”
“I—”
Her expression shifted to serious. “Don’t deny it. She’s in trouble, and I know you’ll want to help.”
I shut up because it was true. For days, I’d tried to maintain the wall Lovelyn claimed I’d put between us, but one hint of her being in need and I was a desperate man.
“Out with it.”
Mila’s words landed like bombs. “You need to hear what she’s chosen to do.”
Chapter 42
Lovelyn
A low pulse of dread threaded through my body, winding me up tight. I’d entered the skeleton crew’s basement with good intent but now regretted ever making this decision.
Hidden in the brightly lit dressing room, where four other women chatted nervously and dished out compliments like sweets, I couldn’t ignore the roar of the men. They were locked in two cages in the main body of the room. I’d caught a glimpse of one group, in masks and with their eyes blacked up, most shirtless, a brawl starting up between them.
Utterly terrifying.
When I’d originally had the knee-jerk reaction to enter the game, it had been with Kane in mind, or at least the things we’d done together and the predator-prey fun we’d made work for us. I’d loved that. I wanted more of the same.
Yet attraction and interest had shrunk to fear and cold panic.
I went over my conversation with the skeleton girls and Cassie’s plan. I’d sign up for the game publicly, putting the message out about my intent by coyly mentioning it on my socials. Telling friends. Most of my internet acquaintances had no idea what I meant by ‘Deadwater’s infamous game’ but wished me well, and even the ex I’d told Kane about hadcommented. I’d told my father, knowing he’d bitch to his cronies.
Not that I cared about his opinion. I’d had the choice to go back to my life as it had been before. I could’ve accepted the date with Lyle and reset everything to the status quo.
No, thank you, Satan.
With that done, it was over to Arran, Shade, and Convict to monitor the requests they had to get in on the action. Throughout the warehouse, beds were rented where voyeurs would watch the fun with their favourite sex worker raking in the cash. It was the only way they could see it as it wasn’t transmitted or filmed. Only live streamed to the select few.
