Her pulse jumped, but her hands didn’t shake. La’Nova stood still and naked with lotion thick and slick between her fingers. The air still smelled like cigarette and the mint eucalyptus soap that she bathed with. She ran the conditioner slowly down her arms, across her shoulders, letting it trail over her collarbone and down her stomach.
Her skin glistened in the dark, every nerve awake, her instincts as sharp as the metal rat tail comb tucked in the center of her scalp.
La’Nova dragged the remnants of the lotion down the sides of her thick thighs. Grounding herself from the sensation. Cold airkissed her damp skin, followed by goosebumps. She forced her breathing to stay even and controlled as she remembered the feel of her cold shower.Pain can be trained…She told herself once more.
Her fingers searched the counter blind until they found the cigarette pack. She flipped it open, plucked one out with her teeth, then reach again until she felt the metal from her lighter. The click sounded in the silence then the flame flared, lighting her face from below.
Smoke filled her lungs as she flitted her gaze below the bathroom’s door. A strange calm that she never felt before settled in her chest heavy and absolute. Life or death didn’t scare her anymore. What scared her was failing.
“Little Annie, it’s time for initiation…” Lennox’s deep voice broke through the silence.
Her brows knitted tightly from the nickname he called her when she was just a little girl afraid of what him and Dontrell was going to do to her parents. Nausea rolled down her belly as she willed herself to take another long drag from her vice.
“Kentrell is dead,” he stated flatly with no ounce of sadness. “I guess Luca got to him before I could send for his protection.” He chuckled wryly.
“My condolences.” La’Nova uttered dryly.
“None needed,Annie.” He emphasized the sick nicknamed he gave her.
“It’s dark in there,” Lennox uttered in a suggestive tone, licking his lips to lubricate his next set of words. “Maybe you should come out here so we can have a conversation.”
A thin red line slid beneath the door, glowing low and ominous, painting the tile like a warning. Next, she heard heavy footsteps. La’Nova exhaled smoke toward the ceiling then shut her eyes for one heartbeat.
“O-kay,” she stated carefully.
La’Nova lifted her chin, fingers brushing her hair, confirming the comb was still there. She took one last drag, then flicked the cigarette to wherever it would land. She moved toward the light that shined beneath the door and paused again just as her fingers grazed the doorknob.
“You’re under my command and control once you open that door,” Lennox warned in a clipped tone. “You’ll do what I say and what I want. Your life means nothing to me.” Lennox’s deep voice bounced off the walls.
“This is your initiation to hell.”
Chapter 22
Initiation to hell…
Red swallowed everything soon as La’Nova opened the door. The light was low and heavy, pressing down on La’Nova’s chest the moment she stepped out the bathroom. Darkness clung to the corners of the room, thick enough to blur faces that stared back at her with hunger.
A circle of tall red candles in the middle of the floor caused La’Nova to pause as an eerie feeling closed up her throat, causing her breathing to alter. The new setting of the room gave off satanic sacrifice vibes to her. She noted that her bedding had been changed on the huge king-sized bed, covered in red silk. She took small steps further into the room with Lennox’s breath at the nape of her neck.
Her eyes slightly widened at the masked faces of naked men. They stood in different areas of the room, silent and unmoving. She turned her head slightly and saw two men on either side of the door. With the dim red lightening, she couldn’t make out their masks but could see their hands swiftly stroking theirs dick from the anticipation of what was to take place.
These mutha fuckas are truly sick!She thought.
La’Nova forced her pulse to stay steady. Warning bells went off in her head along with paranoia. She could feel hungry eyes on her in every direction. When La’Nova reached the side of the bed, she turned to glance up at Lennox. Finally, she took in his appearance. He was fully dressed in a three-piece suit that clung to his lean frame. His silver cufflinks caught the light when he moved.
“Lay down,” he said calmly.
La’Nova didn’t move right away, she just stared up into his dark eyes trying to gauge what was next to come. Just this scene alone detailed just how sick and twisted Lennox truly was. Bile rose in her throat as she tried to force out all the sick thoughts that swirled around in her brain.
La’Nova wondered just how far Lennox went with the innocent underage girls that he had taken off the streets or ripped away from their parents like he’d done her. Her first assault that she forced out of her mind as a young girl came tumbling back into the forefront of her head.
Lennox smiled faintly and begin to walk close until she was face to face with his chest.
“This world and me in it is just a small fraction of what power and money leads to. Men like me, including the ones that people worship such as celebrities and other high ranked men, our tastes are different,” Lennox declared with a short flick of his hand.
“Sacrifices that are unspoken.” His eyes flickered to where the circle of candles were. “It’s the kind of sacrifices that people overlook because they think is some made up shit since their simple ass minds can’t process it. It’s real as fuck, and it’s theonly way to obtain and keep what you signed away in blood.” He boasted proudly.
“Who do you serve after all these years, La’Nova?” He cocked his head to the side awaiting her answer.
