With every detail I revealed, I saw Dante retreat, slowly slipping away from us. It pissed me off, but I couldn’t blame him, either. I remembered the hard hands of my father as a child. The bastard was mean, but nothing compared to Dante’s father, a man who would lock his own son in the attic and consider selling him to some pedophile … bastard hadn’t deserved to have children. Hell, the bastard hadn’t deserved to breathe.
“Do you know where he is?” Dante asked.
“No,” I told him. “But we’re still looking. I’m sure he’s stalking your house. He knows you and the girls disappeared, but he won’t know where.”
“So what do we do now?
My brother’s eyes shot up to my face beneath his lashes. I knew what he wanted, but now was not the time to approach that subject. It would come in time.
“I know what I’ve got planned,” Isaac said, setting his glass on the table. “And it doesn’t involve memories or pain or any of this bullshit.” His hand fisted, released.
“Do the girls know?” Dante’s eyes shifted from my face to Isaac’s.
“Nay,” I assured him. “It’s your story to tell. If and when … the situation changes … you can decide what to share with them.”
“Thank you, Master.”
I walked over to him, tipped back his head, and stared down into his handsome face. “You’re safe with us.”
His eyes implored me, the hope that was there strong enough to steal my breath.
“We won’t let that bastard touch you again. Understood?”
There was a breathless quality to his voice this time. “Yes, Master.”
I offered a wicked smile, wanting to divert his thoughts. Remove this pain from his past. At least for a little while.
“We’re going to scene this afternoon,” I explained to Dante as I stepped away, heading toward the door.
Isaac pulled out a folded sheet of paper, passed it over to Dante.
“When you’re ready, we’ll be waiting.”
“Yes, Masters.”
I headed inside, ready and eager for something to shift the mood around this place.
And I knew exactly where to find it.
SIXTEEN
Dante
When Ian and Isaac went in the house, I opened the thin sheet of paper, smiled down at the tidy handwriting as I read the instructions.
PRETTY RICH BOY COMES HOME TO FIND TWO SASSY LITTLE MAIDS IN THE HOUSE.
HE DECIDES TO HAVE A PARTY.
JUST THE THREE OF THEM.
In order for this to play out in any way, I knew the girls had to be in on it. Luckily, no trips to the attic were necessary to locate them. They were sitting in one of the other guest rooms, on the bed, grinning as they relaxed against the pillows.
I smiled when Everly invited me in.
“What’s up, handsome?” Heaven asked, grinning.
“We’ve been summoned.”
Everly knew exactly what that meant, but Heaven’s confusion was almost amusing. Her attention darted between us.
“What’s that mean?” she asked, her pitch a little higher than before. “Summoned?”
“It means we’re going to … play.”
“Oh.” Her eyes widened, but she didn’t look happy.
“Come on,” Everly urged. “Consider it a going-away party. Some fun memories to reflect on when you’re having long, drawn-out conversations with your sister.”
Heaven relaxed, even smiled as her eyes bounced back and forth between the two of us. “Okay, yes. I’ll give it a shot. What do we do?”
I passed over the note, waited for them both to read it. Everly’s breath caught, her eyes glittering with excitement.
A knock sounded behind me. I turned as Ian stepped into the room carrying two flat white boxes, both adorned with a wide red ribbon. “These just came.”
He set them on the bed, grinned, but didn’t say anything more.
As though the woman had never received a gift in her life, Heaven was up on her knees, staring at the boxes as though they were the most precious things in the world.
“Open ’em,” I said, nodding. I figured I needed to know what I was walking into, right?
Heaven tore into the box that had a sterling silver H dangling from the ribbon.
“Oh … uh … these are maids’ outfits.”
“Yeah?” Everly giggled. “You see a lot of maids wearing skirts that don’t cover their ass?”
“In porn, sure.” She laughed, the sound musical.
“I’ll leave you to it,” I told them with a wink. “This pretty rich boy’s got to get into character.”
“I can’t wait,” Everly said softly, meeting my gaze.
While they giggled and cooed over the outfits, I made the trek to the other side of the house. Ian and Isaac were nowhere in sight, just as I’d expected. They hadn’t laid out how they would work into the equation, but I figured that was going to be the interesting part.
But something told me all of our wicked fantasies were about to play out.
I decided on a shower. I’d already taken one that morning, but I needed another. The information Ian had given me had left a coat of filth on my skin. I fought back the memories of Roger, the vile things he’d done to me. In my nightmares, I often saw his hands, only they weren’t human in my dreams. They were demonic: thick red skin, long, pointed nails. Definitely the stuff of nightmares. But here, in the bright light of day, I knew he wasn’t part of me, not in any way, and I damn sure wouldn’t let him intrude now.
