KING (Mistress & Master of Restraint) (43 page)

“We could make it one against eight, but you won’t allow them to join us. Are you afraid of them, Ez? Afraid your Daddy would kick your ass?”
I smirk as Faith’s West Virginia accent comes out with her true emotions. I’m grating on her nerves. Assassins don’t speak country, so she usually plays mute. Being tiny and sounding cute would ruin her reputation as a ninja. My silent chuckle clues her in on the fact that I think she’s precious, so she flips me off.

“It’s more fun this way. Speaking of matricide…when will
The Meyers
allow you to fill her shoes, Faith? I so would like you to join us.”

“I’m not telling you what’s going down tonight, asswipe,” Syn growls, baring her blocky teeth. “I was born for this position, as you well know.”

“Yes, quite the killer, indeed…
The Whittenhower
, interesting… what could he possibly do that would affect me without harming one of his own in the process.” Syn’s flinch has me laughing. “Oh, Niel, that poor boy… What is going to happen to him as a result?”

“Leave,” Syn growls, which means I hit it dead-on.

“I’d prefer nothing happened to the boy. I’m very fond of him. How could
he
do this to him? Am I really more important than the boy?”

“Silence,” Wil’s deadly calm voice has Syn’s eyes closing
faster than her mouth. “Master Ez, it would be best if you went next door to seek solace with your friends.”

“I believe that is enemy territory as of last week,” I growl, incensed that they drew Dalton into the game
, using the rule of enforcer as protection. As if I’d ever hurt him. Right now, he’s my only ally.

“Marconi is more understanding than I am,” Wil seethes. “Leave, please. You should return home in a few hours. It’s best that you find a distraction in that time frame. You’re close enough to cracking as it is.”

“My daughter? You’re using Niel against my daughter? You’re harming my first born this eve? How? She’s still a child?” Close to cracking? They haven’t seen me in my full glory yet. Touch my family and they will regret it. Disassociated or integrated, the three of us agree on that shit. Touch my people and you lose your life.

“Collateral damage.
The Whittenhower
wishes for a secret to be revealed. It’s all the better that it will hurt you and yours, but the reason isn’t about you. He wishes for Niel to live a stress-free life. The boy has been…” Wil searches for the words that describe Niel’s anxiety. He’s been off since September.

“You all think me a monster. He is telling
that
,” I draw out in disbelief. “It will hurt his family far more than my own. Is he fucked in the head?”

“As you see,” Wil takes over our negotiations. Syn
ghosts away, unable to be in Wil’s presence after last night’s events. “Ava will not be harmed.

“Is this because your partner ratted out your third last night to the nosy pawns? I thought Faith stronger than that,” I hiss.

“
The Whittenhower
didn’t appreciate last night… Neither did I,” real emotions fill Wil’s voice. I like that, it’s something to digest.

“I’m sure watching Syn screw
him wasn’t pleasant for you,” I arrogantly chuckle. Wil knows that only three people have willingly been inside his tiny assassin: Cort, me, and
The Whittenhower
. Dexter doesn’t count, and he didn’t get a repeat performance. Us, well, she liked us. If gossip is correct, Syn really liked what
The Whittenhower
had to offer last night. Wil- that poor guy wants in there so badly, but Syn’s whore of a mother has other plans. I happened to be the original plan, and when that failed- Syn’s nephew was moved into position for my Ava.

I’m sure tonight’s reveal is to draw my daughter out of the arms of Niel and into that Spencer spawn’s
grubby clutches. Little douche has been strutting around the castle, getting the girls all hot and bothered. I just about tossed him from the fourth-story balcony last night when he was hitting on Ella.

Propagating whore!
My grandchildren will not be of the Meyers’ line. NO! I’ll neuter the douche with a spoon before he gets to one of the girls. Niel already beat him to one of them. I feel a swell of pride when I think of young Daniel going outside the parameters of the game and totally screwing it all up. I really do love the kid. He reminds me of a more twisted version of myself. Actually, what he did is so like me that I want to give him a hug.

Wil clenches his fists, preparing to annihilate me.
I feel for him, I know all about unrequited love and the inability to disobey one’s master. “Alright, the play isn’t about me. I’ll go…. Tell me this, is there a reason. Is she… Hmmm… I bet she is. The Whittenhowers are going to be blessed with another?”

“Go next door and visit
your boys, and then go home and make sure your sociopathic child doesn’t kill the girl. All three Daniels would die if something happened to her.”

“Yes, but would
The Whittenhower
give a shit? I didn’t think he was worse than me, but now I doubt,” I muse. “I’ll give Niel my condolences when I see him… I mean congratulations,” I chuckle. “I bet that little shit wishes he never had sex- see what happens when you cheat on my daughter?”

***

“Hey,” Dalton purrs as he opens the door. He likes playing with fire, and I’m going to singe his ass tonight.

“Where’s Daniel?” I quickly ask. My need to gossip like an old biddy is tickling my brain.

“Shower,” he murmurs, looking over his shoulder to get a better listen. “He’ll be out shortly, though. Visit or game?”

“Both,” I answer, entering their loft. “Why’s he doing it, Dalton?” I ask, knowing that
The Whittenhower
’s enforcer would know exactly what’s going down tonight. “It’s not a good idea. It isn’t about the game. It’s the kids’ lives.”

“She’s pregnant, second trimester. What the hell is he supposed to do? Niel pussies out
every time he tries to tell anyone. He only talks to Daniel. Game or not, time’s up.”

“I… but… I’d lie if I were the kids. Holy s
hit, man, this will destroy their family. Holy media-storm, batman.” I stop talking the moment I hear the shower cut off.

“He doesn’t know,” Dalton hisses. “I can’t tell him. I’m in a shitty position
, here. I mean, he knows,” Dalton nods his head back and forth, stressing his words. “But not about what’s going down tonight.”

“Does he know anything else?” I prompt, askin
g if he knows about me, who
The Whittenhower
is, who Dalton is.

“I love him enough not to tell him,” Dalton confesses. “I’ll tell him all I
can, but it’s not my position to say.”

“Oh, hi!”
Pretty Boy cheerily greets me, happy to see me visiting. I feel so guilty that I want to yank my still beating heart from my chest and hand it to him in apology. “Boring over at Restraint?”

“Deathly,” I dramatically grumble. “
Only the perverse fuckers frequent a BDSM club on Christmas night. Cort is at home with the kids. Kat is playing whip-a-bitch,” I conversationally say, hiding the personalities at war inside my psyche. “Regina took Marcus away for a few days after last night. I’m not sure what went down, but he was… yeah, he’s gone off the deep end.” I lie through my teeth, pretending I don’t know about their little meetings. Marcus went nuts when an interrogated Syn admitted who her fellow enforcer was. Regina had to sedate him. What a clusterfuck Regina’s coming home to. I feel sick.

“He… Marc just went insane,” Daniel despondently says. “It took five of us to contain him. He’s been under a lot of stress.”

Understatement, that! And he doesn’t even know a quarter of it. If he was pissed about them lying to him, and finding out who Syn and Wil’s third was… Lord knows what he’ll do when he finds out that I’m
The Holden
and… he’s… he’s
The Whittenhower
. And when Regina finds out she’s going to be a Grammy… Alright, that part is rather funny. Regina will have to move to Faith’s home state once she realizes that she’ll be a grandmother at the tender age of thirty-six. I shouldn’t laugh since the Spencer heir is sniffing around my daughter.

“I’m in need of a distraction,” Dalton
salaciously purrs, turning on the charm to cover all the lies and bullshit we’re feeding Whitt. We both look a little green around the gills. Decision made, I’m telling Whitt everything. What better way to retaliate for hurting my Ava’s feelings, for humiliating her, for betraying Niel’s private hell. Pretty Boy… he’d be a damn fine ally to have against the rest of them. Then Dalton wouldn’t be conflicted anymore, he be protecting his King. The only one with the power to remove
The Whittenhower
from the game is one of the younger Daniels. I stare at Dalton, and he nods back.

“Tonight,” I whisper to Dalton as I walk towards their bedroom.
“After I fuck him. I’m getting inside Pretty Boy once before he kills me… Then I’m telling Cort,” I say to myself underneath my breath.

I lie in the center of their bed for the very first time. We’ve never done this.
The past month we’ve circled the fringes of real sex. Stress and guilt have kept me from visiting them. Even now, I feel mildly guilty that I’m doing this while our lives are collapsing down around us.

Syn’s bitch of a mother is to fucking blame- whore that she is. Do I tell Whitt that, too? No, not that, never that. I’ll tell him who is ruining his family. Dalton can tell him how he’s an enforcer to protect the Whittenhower family. I’ll get them back to the Castle before Niel’s life implodes.
I’ll lock my daughter in a room without sharp objects. I’ll tell Cort that I’m his nemesis. By the end of the night, Misery Castle will be in flames as we torch one another. No more lies. No more games. I’m not playing this game alone any longer. As much fun as it’s been watching my father crumble, I cried when he collapsed last night. I’ll fix it. I’m sorry.
I am one with my alter egos. We are in agreement. I love these fools. I’ve never made a move against them… Syn’s whore of a mom- fair-fucking-game. May the lord protect us against the white-eyed fuck and his tiny assassin. Syn- the ultimate conflict of interests.

“You seem really out of it, Ez. More so than usual,” Pretty Boy mumbles. He stares down at me
in concern as I lay in the center of his bed. I whisper in my mind,
please don’t hate me before the night is through. Don’t hurt yourself when you find out how horrid your parents are. I love you.

“Let us make love to you,” I purr
, reaching out to him. “I hold all the answers in the universe, as does your fiancé. Let us show you we love you before we ruin your calm.”

“Dalton?” Daniel calls to his partner
, voice breaking in fear. I have that effect on everyone. They all gauge my mental wellbeing. “What’s going on?”

“Trust us,” Dalton begs
, hands out to calm his partner. “Let us have a half hour of pleasure before we want to die. Please,” he pleads. “Ezra will tell you everything. I promise.”

“Tell me now,” he demands in his Master voice. It may work on Dalton,
who drops into his chair like a good boy, but not me. I hold everyone’s leash- except for
The Meyers
and two of her three enforcers. Whore.

“I’ll make a deal with you,” I negotiate. “We have a time constraint, so I’ll give you a taste and I want a taste in return. Fair?”

“I guess,” Daniel begrudgingly says, knowing there is no other option than the one I offer. I never argue, I just leave with my unspoken answers. He joins Dalton in a side chair while I lounge on their bed.

“The game,” I begin, “Has seven players.
A few generations ago, a man was bored out of his skull. He and his friends devised a way to breathe excitement into their stagnant lives. They set ground rules, rules you aren’t allowed to break.” I roll my eyes at that. They didn’t expect someone to find a loophole by hurting their own property- a technicality. It’s why I still breathe. “Anything was fair game within the parameters of the rules. An egomaniacal asshole devised the game- Meyers. Whittenhower. Spencer. Holden. Green. Fontaine. Last generation, the game went stale. They revitalized it by drawing in the Simpson family. Now, it’s two strong families butting heads while the rest bow down to them. The new proposal is to mix it up by having Regina and Marcus join the fun. Too bad it has to be unanimous, and one of them is holding out,” I chuckle at my pun. “Only two ways you can be your family’s top player- aka, the Elder. Your Elder retires or dies, and you must be their heir. We only live by our own rules, not the rules of the government. Nothing says you can’t off your Elder. My grandparents were murdered by my predecessor.”

“Predecessor?
That means you’re… you’re one of them,” Daniel growls, readying for attack. A small, firm hand wraps around the nape of Daniel’s neck, holding him on the arm of the chair.

“Don’t get pissy, Pretty Boy. And yeah, I’m gonna keep calling you that until the day I die, so don’
t tell me to fuck off! As I was saying… I joined the fun when my predecessor retired. It’s not as nasty as you’d think. It’s kind of exhilarating. Some days are breathtaking, intoxicating… an electrifying high. Then there are the bad days when you want to curl up and die. You know what I’m talking about… what happened to me… it was within the rules. First: Ray went batshit from stress or he was always nuts... The torturous, life-altering days, your own family perpetrates those acts against you. I was my predecessor’s heir- the last of our line, and gay. I was their only hope. After I failed with Faith,
The Holden
became unhinged. An unhinged Holden and a batshit Hunter meant three ruined boys… Ironically, my predecessor killed theirs for doing the same thing to my mother… Enforcers… blah… blah… blah. You shouldn’t fear them since your own protect you on a daily basis. Hell, the Whittenhower uses all of them except for my own and The Fontaine’s. Mine would protect you all to the death, as they already have. The Elders control the Enforcers’ very breath,” I snicker. “A handful are nasty, tricky, and murderous by their master’s orders. But the rest are mischievous. They play with your mind, lie, cheat, run in and scare your family and then retreat. Mine are big softies. My fellow elders and I have the most fun tormenting one another with the lies. Lies you’re eating up with a spoon during your meetings. So… suck my dick and I’ll tell you how you can sit in your rightful seat next to me. The game needs some new blood. That whore needs to know she isn’t the only one to populate the game with her spawn,” I hiss. “They have freewill. Sometimes the Whore’s sheep grow teeth. Look at Syn.”