Air was scarce, my body weak as he released the restraint on my ankle. He rested that leg on his shoulder as he freed the other, then lowered them to the floor before unhooking my wrists. He massaged them briefly, then came to stand in front of me.
This time when he kissed me, he cupped my face, a move that made my heart ache in my chest. This man … I was falling for him. Hard and fast. Something that I’d never thought would happen. Not in my lifetime.
When he pulled back, he slid his thumbs over my cheeks, stared in my eyes. “When we get home, you’ve earned punishment. I want you to go to your room, take a shower. When you’re finished, I want you to kneel in the center of your bedroom until I come for you. Don’t bother getting dressed.”
“Yes, Master, it would be my pleasure.”
He smirked. This time it was wicked and sexy. “We’ll see about that.”
And I knew we most definitely would.
TWENTY-THREE
Everly
The second we pulled down Ian and Isaac’s driveway, I knew something was wrong.
Not because I could see it or sense it. Because Ian and Isaac could.
The garage door opened slowly, but Isaac didn’t pull the Escalade inside. He left it out, turned off the engine.
“I’ll go in the front. You take the back,” Ian commanded. He glanced over his shoulder at us. “Dante, you get in the driver’s seat. If at any time you feel either of you are in danger, I want you to leave. The police station isn’t far from here. Go directly there, understand?”
“Yes, Master,” he said firmly before opening his door.
Isaac didn’t look back at us, his entire focus on the house. Dante climbed into the driver’s seat, locked the doors when they closed. He turned the engine over, flipped the radio off.
“What’s going on?” I asked, keeping my voice barely above a whisper.
“I don’t know.”
I glanced out all the windows, trying to see what had set them off. It took a minute, but I finally saw it. There was a red light flashing at the top eave over the garage. It was small, but they’d obviously known what to look for.
Minutes felt like hours, my heart pounding like a bass drum. Finally, Ian appeared, walking over to the driver’s side.
“Pull it in the garage,” he told Dante when he rolled the window down.
Ian waited while Dante parked, shut off the engine. The garage door was down before he allowed us out.
“Please tell me what’s going on,” I begged.
“Just stay quiet. Not a word,” he snapped, motioning for us to go inside.
When I walked in, all the lights were blazing, every corner lit up like the face of the sun. Nothing looked out of place, just how we’d left it.
Dante started toward his room, but Isaac stopped him with a hand on his chest. “No.”
I watched the staring contest that ensued.
I wasn’t surprised when Dante didn’t back down, his voice low when he asked, “What did he do?”
Isaac merely shook his head.
Dante tried to move forward. Isaac held him back.
“You don’t need to see it. Neither of you do.” He pointed across the house. “You’ll sleep in one of those rooms tonight.”
“Isaac.” Dante’s voice was clipped, angry.
Isaac got right in his face. “Don’t.”
“I have to.”
I could feel the pain and anger coming off them both, knew whatever had happened was bad. Isaac was rattled, not to mention extremely pissed, and Dante seemed to know something I didn’t.
“While you two hash it out,” Ian growled, “I’m going to sweep the rooms.”
Sweep the rooms?
I raised my eyebrows, glanced over at Ian. Then it dawned on me because, you know, I’d seen enough crime TV over the years. He was checking for bugs.
Holy crap.
Finally, Isaac backed down, stepping aside so Dante could go past.
I followed, pushed forward when Isaac tried to hold me back.
I could smell paint fumes when I stepped inside. I stared at the destruction. Every single thing in the room was destroyed. The bedding and mattress were shredded, doors ripped off the hinges. The furniture looked as though someone had taken an axe to it. Holes dotted all the walls except one.
That one, still intact, had a message painted in red:
YOU BELONG TO ME. ALWAYS HAVE. NO ONE WILL TAKE YOU AWAY. IT’S TIME TO COME HOME, DANTE. FOR EVERY DAY YOU DON’T…
Below the letters were five pictures, all taken here, in the backyard. Me, Heaven, Dante, Isaac, and Ian. In that order. Large steak knives had been driven into four of them, right between the eyes.
Dante was breathing hard, his chest rising and falling. I’d never seen him so angry. It pained me that anyone would do this to him.
I stared at the wall and that’s when I saw the smaller message. There was an arrow pointed toward the picture of me. Beside it: SHE’LL BE THE FIRST TO DIE.
