I hold her tighter, never wanting to let her go. I want to insist that she comes with us instead. We have Tiberius, and Antony, and all of Claudia’s other soldiers. We can protect her. But she’s right, she’s probably better all the way across the country.
“We should get back out there,” Grace says, pulling back abruptly and smoothing down her dress. “I don’t want him to see me talking to you, in case he thinks you have anything to do with it.”
He’s going to think that anyway. But I don’t know if it matters. John Marlowe is goingdown.
Grace leaves first, stumbling over the lip of the paneling. A hard lump forms in my throat as I watch her go.
Claudia turns to me, icicle eyes blazing with blue flame. “You okay? If you want to, we can skip the trial by public opinion, and I get Antony and Tiberius to kidnap him for a little personal revenge.”
Yes. My fingers curl into her soft skin, imagining digging into his neck, squeezing the life from his despicable lungs. “No. Grace is right. The media will do it for us, and it will be all the more enjoyable watching him brought down in public. When that story breaks, his career is over. He’ll go to jail, and they won’t be kind to him in there.”
“That’s my dark prince talking. Can you go back out to the party?” she asks. “Can you smile and shake hands with his sycophants and do what we came here to do, or do I need to get you home?”
“I can do it.” I’m here for her. We need to get the information out of Daphne to have something to bargain with, so we can get Claudia out of this fucking marriage.
“Good.” Claws holds up her phone. “Because Gabriel has got her in position. We’ve got work to do, and I want you by my side. I don’t know if any of the others have the stomach for this.”
I hold out my arm for her – outwardly, I’m the perfect gentlemen, but inside my beastly heart races at the thought of what’s to come. “After you, Mackenzie Malloy.”
Claudia rolls her eyes as we step out of the hidden room and push our way through the coats. Back in the club, the press of bodies is even more intense than before. I spy my father in the far corner, smiling broadly as he chats to Chad’s parents. No one notices as we slip through a door into a short hallway leading to a single elevator.
Our feet sink into thick burgundy carpet. A large man who makes Tiberius look like a teddy bear guards the elevator, arms folded and frown directed at me. His eyes widen when he sees who’s on my arm – every crook in this city recognizes Claudia August.
Claudia smiles at the operator. “Gabriel Fallen came this way with two women. Which room are they in?”
“I gave them fourteen, ma’am.” The man pulls open the elevator cage for us and presses a key into her hands. “Have a good night.”
“I intend to.” Claudia’s smile could melt butter.
We exit the elevator three floors up into another plushly-carpeted hallway. Gold-flecked wallpaper and gilded portraits adorn the walls. From behind the row of closed doors come moans and cries.
It’s hard to believe just a few days ago, Eli was here with therealMackenzie Malloy. I glance down at the woman on my arm, confident that I’ve got the right twin, and damn she looks fine tonight. Brutality never looked so good.
We locate room fourteen. Claudia slides the key into the lock and sweeps inside. I follow her, closing the door behind me with a click.
“I thought you’d never get here.” Gabriel swigs from a silver flask as he luxuriates across the gold-flecked bedspread. George sits stiffly in a velvet chair, her nails digging into the arms. Scattered around them is a plethora of BDSM gear – floggers and leather collars, whips and handcuffs, and several oddly-shaped implements I don’t want to inquire about, all thrown about as if there’d been a grand struggle. “I was just about to start my own unique brand of torture by singing Justin Bieber songs horribly off-key, over and over and over until I drove her insane. She’s practically begging for Noah to take over.”
I peer around the room until I locate our charge. Hanging from the Saint Andrew’s cross is a woman, naked except for a pastel pink lace bra and matching thong. Her hands and feet are shackled to the apparatus, and a ball gag muffles her cries.
Claws slips the gag from her mouth. “Hello, Daphne.”
16
George
“It was too easy.” Gabriel leans against a sex swing, his hands patting his pockets, looking for the weed I swiped earlier and dumped in the trash. Sad to waste good grass, but Gabe needs an intervention, stat. “All I did wasmentionthat George and I were looking for a good time away from the stuffy parents and she melted like butter, practically ledusup here. And who am I to turn down such an enthusiastic fan?”
Gabe’s features are relaxed, but I notice his eyes dart nervously around the room. He pulls a silver flask from his pocket and takes a huge swig. He’s supposed to be sober. Hepromisedme and Claws he’d stay sober. But I get that he needs to obliterate the memory of what he’s done.
Whatwe’vedone.
Daphne jerks her head back as Claudia leans in close. Even through the haze of alcohol, she’s terrified. She screams for help, and Claudia chuckles, slapping her cheek lightly.
“Scream all you want, princess. Anyone outside these walls will only believe Gabriel’s working his magic on your body.” She licks her lips. “Tsk, tsk. If only you remembered that his demon tongue is for my pussy only.”
Claudia slaps her other cheek. Daphne’s head rolls back. “What do you want?” she cries, tears streaking makeup down her cheeks.
I did this.
