Page 53 of Chained

"The S-Secret Garden." His voice shakes as he fights away the stutter.

I don't give him time to react; I'm already throwing my leather jacket over my shoulder and making my way through the door.

He follows quickly behind, eyes dropped to the floor as we walk through the corridors.

The Secret Garden. Vincent's nightclub deep in Ashwood. My stomach turns; I've been there a handful of times, but it was more than enough to make me feel…dirty. The hidden rooms that sit beneath the club host most of Vincent's depraved clients, while the girls sit in chains, waiting to be sold for the night.

I don't hear the maid as we walk deeper into the manor, my thoughts consumed by the filth that waits for us.

"Hey, Ace." She flashes me her best smile. I ignore it. The guards here love to dip their dicks in the staff, but not me, though. I have enough drama with Melina without adding more.

We move in silence until we finally reach my car that beeps as I unlock it. I slide inside, and Jarrod quickly joins beside me, his face blank and fingers twisting in his lap.

"Hey," I whisper, nudging him with my elbow.

He looks over at me now, a sour look on his face as he scowls.

"Do you mind?" His voice is spoiled, but a flicker of a smile is on his face as he straightens out.

"Don't worry about this, okay? Don't overthink it…" I say, fingers drumming against the wheel. "We go, we do the job, and we come home."

"I just wish we didn't…" He lets out a heavy sigh, his cheeks turning a shade of pink beneath the streetlights. "I wish we didn't have to get involved."

Yeah. Me too, brother.

My skin prickles as I think of the latest girls we'd brought to the manor, heart beating a little faster as she pops into my head without warning. Was she dead? Had her bravery turned into stupidity and she'd got herself killed?

I look over to Jarrod again, his eyes sad as he stares into the darkness outside. I stretch across him, popping the glove box open while I keep one hand on the wheel, eyes flickering between the mess inside and the long stretch of road ahead.

"What are you doing?" He frowns, moving his legs to allow me more access.

"Finding a way to stop your fucking moping," I say through gritted teeth, my shoulder aching from this morning's training as my fingers fumble through the letters and wrappers inside the glove box, searching until I feel the rubber wire. I yank it out, dropping it onto Jarrod's lap. His hands move to hold it up, his face quickly moving to a smirk as he holds on to the AUX cable tightly.

"I thought you'd snapped the last one." His voice is soft, but I can hear the smile in it.

I did, and now I'm going to endure the next hour listening to your music. For you. "I bought another," I say, my voice clipped as I shift in my seat to get comfy, my legs aching from being sat in the same position for an hour. The Secret Garden is around an hour's drive. I've done this route many times. Not because of the club—fuck, I'd rather peel my own skin off than go anywhere close to there when I'm not forced—but a little down the road is a cemetery. I haven't told anyone about my visits or the grave that sits in the far-left corner beside an old oak tree, and I don't think I ever will.

The lights shine brightly as we speed through the streets. I blink and for a flicker of a second, I see it.

Her gravestone. Caroline Denver. My mother.

I brush it off quickly. I can't think of her, I can't. The nightmares are too much; now she's in my head during the days.

My eyes move to Jarrod as he messes with the AUX cable, his tongue stuck out as his nail-bitten fingers work fast to plug it in, failing every time.

"I can pull over and do it," I offer, brow raised as I watch him fumble around.

"If you'd maybe drive a little smoother, I'd be able to get it in." His voice is rough and slow as he concentrates.

I scoff at his insult. "I'm sure you've said that one too many times before," I say as my hands grip the wheel, dragging it to the left and swerving us to the side, forcing him to jolt sideways roughly.

He bangs his head against the window, the noise loud as he lets out a loud, "Ow!" His fingers move through his hair, palm rubbing hard against his scalp as he holds tightly to the AUX cable. I bite against my cheek, trying desperately to hold back the laugh that's building in my throat.

"Sorry, Jar…I was avoiding a pothole." I let out a chuckle, my face turning to watch the smirk spread on his face as he continues to milk the bump on his head.

"You're a bastard," he spits through a laugh, his hands working once again to connect the cable.

"Finally." He breathes a sigh of relief, a triumphant smile spreading as the AUX connects. He grabs his phone from his pocket, his inhaler dropping to the floor, but he doesn't move to grab it.