Ian nodded.
“Just call this number back,” she said quickly. “I’ll tell you what’s going on when you do. Please don’t go home.”
She disconnected, stared at the phone for long seconds before passing it back to Ian.
“I’ll be all right,” she said softly, wiping the tears from her face with the backs of her hands, flinching when she pressed on her bruised skin. “I didn’t mean to crash the party. I just… I didn’t know where else to go. I was coming here anyway, figured…”
I had no idea what she figured, but it didn’t matter. I was glad she’d come, grateful that Ian and I had been here.
Everly’s eyes darted between the two of us. “Is Heaven still here?”
Ian shook his head. “She went to her sister’s.”
Everly nodded, as though that made sense. “She was staying with her this weekend. Came back to grab something.” A sob tore free. “She wasn’t supposed to be home.”
Thank God she had come back. Otherwise…
I shrugged off the thought, not willing to go there.
“You’re safe,” I repeated. “Everly. Look at me.”
Her eyes jerked up to my face, another tear dripping down her smooth cheek.
“You made the right decision,” I told her.
“Heaven wants you to call her when you can,” Ian added.
“I will.” She furiously wiped at the tears as though she was angry they were there.
“You want to go back downstairs?” Ian offered, probably feeling as helpless as I was.
Everly took a deep breath, exhaled slowly. When she looked up again, her eyes were clearer, her defenses back in place. “Yeah.”
My brother opened the door, stepped out into the hall as though ensuring she knew she had space.
Not wanting to make her feel trapped, I obliged, motioning toward the bathroom across the hall. “Splash some water on your face. We’ll wait for you here.”
When she had secured herself inside, I turned to Ian.
“Heaven told me she hasn’t been their roommate for long,” he explained. “That she didn’t know who this guy was or what he might want.”
“Did she mention Dante?”
“No.” His eyes hardened.
“Find out everything you can about him,” I instructed. “And when he calls back, I want you to talk to him. Explain what happened.”
“Sure. What’re you thinking?”
I peered back at the closed bathroom door. “I’m thinking she’s not safe at that house, and I’m not sure her roommates are, either.”
“Doesn’t sound like it. She have somewhere to go?”
I met his eyes again and I didn’t bother to explain. The man already knew what I was thinking.
“It’s a risk.”
“I know.”
“I don’t mind, but…”
I waited, needing him to finish that sentence.
“We need to get more answers,” he finally said. “If she’s willing to stay with us, she can. Otherwise, you’ll have to let her go, Isaac.”
He was right. Although I wanted that woman with a passion I didn’t understand, I certainly wouldn’t force her to stay with us.
Then again, I wasn’t beyond using a little Dominant persuasion, either.
Everly Hughes
I splashed cold water on my face like Isaac had instructed, my hands shaking.
When I got a good look at the damage, the black eye forming, the puffy lip, I shuddered, remembering the way that man had dragged me by my hair, rough and mean. I could still feel the searing pain in my scalp, the fear that had closed my throat when I’d thought of what he might do to me.
I’ve got you now, Heaven. You’re not my priority, but you’ll do for now.
His voice, high-pitched and frantic, rang in my head. I’d been so shocked by his appearance, I hadn’t been able to react in time to defend myself.
Where’s Everly? Huh? Maybe she’ll come back. Join us.
He had thought I was Heaven, though I wasn’t sure why. I’d never met him before, and if he’d actually met Heaven, he would’ve known I wasn’t her. We had similar characteristics, dark hair, light skin, close to the same height, but that was where the similarities ended.
I’ll show you what it’s like to be dominated. That’s what you like, right? Rough, hard. Someone to slap you around?
His rambling had confused me because he had me and Heaven completely mixed up. Heaven wasn’t a submissive, didn’t know anything about the lifestyle aside from what Dante and I had told her. In fact, Heaven was pretty vanilla. She would be the first to say she didn’t understand at all what our fascination was with BDSM. Not that I held it against her, but for someone to get the two of us mixed up like that … it made me think he didn’t know Dante all that well, either.
He’ll learn. He’ll know who he belongs to, that he can’t ignore me because of a couple of sluts. I’ll show him. But first, I’ll show you.
The he had to be Dante. The guy wanted Dante, and if I wasn’t mistaken, this man thought he was a Dominant.
