Chaotic (L.O.R.D.S. #7) — Chapter no 46

FORTY-SIX

KASH TON

sit next to her hos pital bed back at Carnage. She passed out af‐I ter Hai dyn cauterized the cut on her leg. Then I wrapped her in a blanket and rushed to get her here. She needed medical attention, but we couldn’t move her until we could control the bleeding. It was just too much.

“Do you not have surveillance on her house?” Haidyn asks, break‐

ing the silence.

I snort. “Of course I do.”

“Why didn’t you play it, then?” He sighs.

I wanted her to tell me what was wrong. I wanted her to tell me what happened. Plus, I’d have to skim through the feed to find my answer. But I refuse to answer him.

Haidyn stands by the window while I make circles on her hand. A knock on the door comes, and Haidyn opens it.

Bill rushes in. “How is she?”

I called him on our way back to Carnage and told him to get his ass here, then hung up.

Sin and Ryat enter behind him before I can re spond. “No body. No evidence. The blood trail stopped at a dirt road behind the housing addition. I’m as sum ing he had a car parked there or called for some‐ one to come get him, but there was a lot of blood. So whatever she did to him, he needed medical as sistance quickly or he was going to bleed out. Here are her car keys.” Sin places them on the counter next to her bed. “Ryat followed me back, and I parked it in the

garage.”

“Thanks,” I tell them.

“Who the fuck did this?” Bill demands, walking over to the hos pital bed. He takes in her bruised neck and cheek. His face tight ens see‐ ing the glue and Steri-Strips that cover the cut on it as well.

“Evan,” Haidyn re sponds.

“What? No.” Bill shakes his head. “Everett doesn’t have anything to do with him—”

“She does,” I interrupt, glaring at him. My girl is very good at keep‐ ing things about her life a se cret. She thinks no one cares, but I do.

Bill was with Isabella for years and is now mar ried to Janice. He’s too busy for her. But I’m not. “I don’t know specifics, but he was there. In her house.”

Bill turns his back and runs his hand over his hair.

“She put up one hell of a fight,” Sin declares. “Wherever he is right now, he’s in pain, if not dead.”

“Where would he go to seek treatment?” I look at Bill. I’m going to find Evan and drag him to Carnage by his fuck ing neck. I’m going to love hearing the piece of shit scream for me.

“I don’t know.”

“Bullshit,” Haidyn snaps. “Where the fuck would he go?”

“I’m not lying to you,” he shouts. “I’ve been her only advo cate…”

He glances at me and clears his throat. She has me now. I’ve taken over that role, and I’m not going to fail her. Lower ing his voice, he adds. “I haven’t spoken to Evan in years, except for when he showed his face at my re cep tion. And up until now, I didn’t think Eve did either.”

“You have surveillance on her house, right?” Haidyn looks at me and I nod. I al ready told him so. “Let’s watch it. Maybe it’ll give us some thing.”

Saint grabs the re mote and turns on the TV while I pull my phone out. I go to the app, pull up the feed, connect my cell to the TV, and push Play.

Just as I suspected, he was al ready there waiting for her. He ap‐ peared from the woods behind her house and entered through the back door. “I thought you saidyou found the video,” I snap at Bill when Evan tells her that I needed to see who she re ally was.

Bill shakes his head. “We never said that. It was sent to us by an unknown number.”

Evan has them. He wanted to scare me away from my angel. Joke’s on him, because that’s not possi ble.

When we rush in, the video shows me kicking down the door to the bathroom, finding her on the floor, giving her a shower. As I pin her to the bathroom floor, I end the video. They don’t need to see any more.

It’s obvious Evan knows I have cameras out side of her house, but does he know I have them on the inside too? I think it’s safe to say no. Other wise, I don’t think he would have shown up at all. Or maybe he did.

That could have been his whole plan. To show me how bro ken she is. How scared of him she is. He was who trained her, brainwashed her. He knows how her mind works and what will scare her the most.

“What the fuck did Evan mean by she owes him for me?” Haidyn growls.

Bill sighs, looking over at a sleep ing Eve. “When you turned your‐ self over to Isabella. Your broth ers called Adam to help find you. He knew who Charlotte re ally was. And he suspected that you were with Isabella but couldn’t be certain. Adam contacted Eve, and she…”

“She what?” he demands.

“Eve reached out to Evan, trying to find out if you were at Doll‐ house. It took him a week, but he confirmed that’s where you were.”

“So Eve was your some one.” Sin nods in understanding.

Haidyn looks away, running his hand down his face. Eve contacted the one person she wanted to avoid to save him. The half brother who raped and abused her. So we could res cue the half brother who didn’t even know she existed.

“How could you let her do that?” Haidyn whispers.

Bill chuckles. “When she makes up her mind about some thing, there’s no stop ping Eve.”

Silence falls over the room, and I bring her hand to my lips, kissing her soft skin. Devin got the area cleaned up as much as he could.

He couldn’t give her stitches in her leg since we cauterized it at her

house. She’s covered in bruises. The worst are on her neck, where he was chok ing her.

Haidyn sighs. He feels guilty. Re sponsible for her life. He wishes he’d known she had existed so he could have helped her, but would it have mattered? There were so many Lords working against her for so long. I’m not sure it would have made any difference.

“How do we help her?” he asks, cutting the silence.

That’s a good question. “I’m not sure.”

“Therapist? Psychi atrist?”

“Not one the Lords control,” I answer. “And I fear one who isn’t part of our world wouldn’t understand what she’s been through.” I refuse to let her end up in a padded room, drugged out of her mind.

“There has to be some thing,” he says through gritted teeth. We all

feel helpless right now.

“I’ll take care of her,” I assure him.

He turns to face me, and I think he’s going to argue. Tell me that I’m not good enough for her. I’m not. If I were a good man, I’d let Bill hide her away. In a place I wouldn’t even know about. I’d let her go with Adam and be dead to the world. But I can’t. The thought of her with anyone else makes me physically ill.

“I can’t let her go,” I tell Haidyn and look at Bill. “I love her.” Her fa‐ ther needs to understand how se rious I am about my re quest to make her my Lady. This isn’t a game. I’m all in. Whatever it will cost me, I’ll pay; and I’m not talking about money.

“She’s suicidal, Kash.” Haidyn huffs. “She had a knife to her neck.

We both thought…” He can’t finish that sentence. “We just watched her tell him to shoot her.”

“Yeah, well, I re member a time when we thought you were suici‐ dal.” I once found him with both wrists cut, bleeding out on the floor.

Saint and I made a deal with the Lords to keep him from being a prisoner here. The Lords don’t like it when you try to take control of your own life.

“But I wasn’t. I was set up,” Haidyn snaps. “That’s the difference.

She has tried it. Twice. And tonight—”

“She didn’t cut herself. We just watched proof of that.” Evan cut her inner thigh when she head butted him. I’m not sure if he meant to

hurt her or if her quick move ment caused him to do so.

“She admitted that she’d hurt herself before she would allow him to touch her. And that’s enough to be concerned,” Haidyn growls.

“Be cause she felt she had no choice.” I let go of her hand and stand. “You saw the tape that Bill showed us. What he did to her.

She thought she had two options—let him rape her or kill herself.”

“That feeling doesn’t just go away,” he snaps. “She needs pro tec‐ tion. Twenty-four-hour care.”

I snort. “You sound like you want her on drugs.”

“If that keeps her alive.” He shrugs.

“Boys,” Bill says, but we ignore him.

“I’ve known her for six years. You just re alized she exists. You’re not going to take over her life.” I don’t care if she hasn’t been a part of my life that entire time. She is now, and that’s what matters.

“I—”

“Boys,” Bill barks, and we both turn to him. Sin, Ryat, and Saint all stand be hind him. I thought they’d left. “Maybe take this some where else,” he offers.

“I’m not leaving her.” I plop back down next to Eve and take her hand once more.

Haidyn storms out of her room and Saint sighs, following him. Ryat qui etly exits, but Bill and Sin linger. I know what Elli went through.

That she overdosed and al most died on him when the Lords forced him to hurt her. I know how much he still blames himself. Elling ton is a different person now, though, and they’re happily married. Eve and I can be the same way. It’ll just take her time.

“Can you get Devin for me, please?” I ask Sin. “I want her moved to my room.” She deserves privacy, and I’m going to give it to her.

I’ll lock everyone out so she can get the rest she needs.

“Of course.” He turns and ex its.

I look at Bill. “When I went to you and demanded that you pull strings so I can marry her, you made a big deal out of her being a founder.” He swallows, knowing where I’m going with this. “Adam went to speak, and you interrupted him to tell me she’sdifferent. He was going to tell me that she’s the child of a Spade, wasn’t he?”

I knew it had to be more than just a founder. When I compared her to Elli, Bill insisted that she was different. I should have fuck ing known. There were signs that I chose not to see.

“Yes.” He nods.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I growl.

“I…” He takes in a deep breath. “I wanted her to tell you. I thought she would open up to you.”

She hasn’t. Not at all. And I fear that now she’ll close me out more than be fore.

“I’m going to take care of her.” It’s a prom ise that I will die to keep.

Adam said that Bill had the means to help her disappear and I want him to understand that if she goes, I go. It doesn’t matter where we’re at or what we’re doing; she will have me for the rest of my life.

Bill nods, patting my shoulder. “I know, son.” Glancing down at her, he adds, “Keep me updated on how she’s doing. I’m going to make some calls and see what I can find out about Evan.” With that, he leaves me with her.

I sit silently until I hear the door open and look over my shoulder to see Devin while Sin softly closes the door. “I want her in my room.”

He nods. “Sure. Of course. It’ll be a few more hours be fore the sedative wears off. When she wakes up, just call me. I’ll bring her some pain meds and change her ban dages if needed.”

He leaves and I pick her up.

“What do you need from me?” Sin asks, staring at an unconscious

Eve in my arms.

“Get the door. Please.”

EVERETT I open my heavy eyes to see Kashton next to me. His hand gently touches my face. I blink, feeling lightheaded.

“Hey, angel.” He speaks softly, and my eyes begin to fo cus. “We’re in my room back at Carnage. You’re okay, Eve. You’re safe,” he as‐ sures me.

I sit up and so does he. Pushing the covers off, I look down at my leg.

“We had to cauterize your thigh before we could move you. You were losing too much blood. Devin cleaned the area. Are you hurt‐ ing? I can call him to bring you some pain meds.”

“No.” My voice cracks on the single word, and I clear my throat.

“I’m fine.” I lie down, giving him my back, pulling the covers up to my neck. I’m so tired.

I feel him adjust ing himself in the bed to give me some room and I decide to turn to face him. He reaches out, running his knuckles over my cheek.

“You were right,” I admit softly. “But I swear…I didn’t know Evan was my brother at the time.” Tears sting my eyes. “Not until after‐ ward…when Bill saved me.” I feel the need to explain in his silence.

“I…I don’t re member much from Dollhouse. I’m sorry…” My body starts to tremble under the covers.

“Don’t be sorry, Eve.” He sighs. “I’m so sorry, angel, for what he did to you…what you’ve been through…but I prom ise it changes noth‐ ing. I still love you. I still want to be with you. Do you un derstand that?”

I close my eyes, and he kisses my fore head. “Tell me you under‐ stand, Eve,” he com mands softly.

“I un derstand,” I whisper, glancing up at him. “I prom ise I didn’t cut myself. He did it…I tried to fight him in the kitchen. He managed to get the first knife. I was able to stab him with another—”

“I know,” he interrupts my rambling. “I know you didn’t do it. No one is accusing you of anything. You’re safe here with me.” Kashton slides to lie down next to me but keeps his distance, as if he’s afraid to get too close. I start to panic that he’s going to pull away from me. “Try and get some rest, Eve. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

I scoot closer, cud dling into his warm body, noticing he wears noth‐ ing but his boxer briefs. His mus cular arm wraps around me, hold ing me to him, and I close my heavy eyes, allowing myself to re lax into him.