Page 16

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

JASPER

I know what he wants from us before he even opens his mouth. I can’t. I refuse to do that to Falin. Fuck this creepy initiation. I’d rather put a bullet in each of these prick’s skulls than take advantage of Falin like that. I don’t care if it lands me in a jail cell. It would be worth it. My body stiffens as he begins to speak.

“The final offering—” Fairfax’s voice is so damn ominous, it gives me chills. “—is the most intimate. You see Whitaker, secrets bind us, but sharing sins… that binds us tighter. Every initiate must surrender all pretense of virtue. Your wealth has been given…” He gestures to the pouch. “Your blood has been spilled…” His eyes drift to our bloody palms. “And now, you’ll prove there’s nothing you won’t sacrifice for our brotherhood. No lines you won’t cross. No boundaries you won’t break.” His lips curl into a sinister smile. “After all, power knows no shame.”

Falin’s chest heaves while she glances at the lounge behind us. I’m sure she’s caught on to what Fairfax wants. I lock eyes with Fairfax, showing him I don’t back down.

“And if I refuse,” I say, my tone deadly serious.

Fairfax laughs and a few of the men in the crowd join him. “I think you’re smart enough to figure out what happens if you refuse.”

Fuck.

We know too much already and I’m sure we’ve barely scratched the surface.

“If you’d prefer to not sully your personal relationships…” His eyes glide over to Falin and he darts his tongue out to moisten his lips. Bastard. I’ll fucking rip his eyes out and feed them to him. “We have other arrangements available. Many to suit your specific preferences.”

Falin’s eyes go wide. We were spot on. There are people here against their will. Could Bailey be here? I’m barely able to contain my anger, but I ball my hands into fists to control their shaking.

“No,” Falin says. “My husband and I will do whatever it takes. We’re committed to the brotherhood. To making my father proud.”

I want to fight her on this, but if I do, our cover is blown. We’ll have no chance of helping whoever they have down here.

Fuck.

Stepping in front of her, I incline my head so only she can hear me. “We don’t have to do this.”

“We do,” she says. Her eyes drop to the floor and she continues, her voice almost too quiet to hear. “I know you don’t want to… with me. I understand. But I can’t see another way.”

My chest clenches at how wrong she is. If she only knew that this is killing me because I?—

A low chanting begins from the back of the room, startling me. “Let it begin,” Fairfax’s voice commands.

She reaches for my hand. “Unzip my dress, Jasper.”

I dart my eyes around the room at all these motherfuckers about to lay their eyes on Falin. My Falin. Hell no.

I let her hand drop and blow out each of the candles set up on the dais. It helps to dim the space. Fairfax lets out a gruff sound from his spot on the edge, but I pay him no mind.

When I’m back in front of Falin, she turns, asking me silently to unzip her gown. I close my eyes and ground myself—if I’m going to get through this, I need to be there for her. To make sure she’s okay and to shield her from their filthy eyes.

Slowly, I unzip her dress, and the fabric falls to the floor, pooling at her feet. She’s like my own personal wet dream standing before me in nothing but a black lace thong and strapless bra, her curves silhouetted against the dim light. Her ass—holy fuck—is the perfect heart shape. Good enough to bite.

I hate myself, but there’s no helping it. My cock goes rock hard. I’ve waited to see her like this and it kills me that this is how it’s happening. She turns, her face still angled down.

I crowd against her, using my body as a shield from prying eyes. My knuckles instinctively graze her cheek, sliding lower until I reach her jawline. “Are you okay?”

She nods, still not meeting my gaze. I cup her jaw and tip her face up. Her watery eyes kill me. “I’ve got you.”

“I know. Just do it,” she says.

She steps toward the lounge and I see her shoulders rise and fall as she takes a deep breath before laying down. I follow her, my body almost on autopilot at this point. She’s going to fucking hate me for this.

I’ve never felt so dirty as I remove my jacket, unbutton my shirt, and slide off my pants. I won’t take everything off. There’s no reason for that. Falin’s eyes drift to my boxer briefs, widening as she takes me in.

I hover over her. “Can I touch you?”

“You have to touch me,” she whispers. “I don’t think this works without it.”

Such a smart fucking mouth, always.

“You know what I mean,” I say.

She rolls her bottom lip between her teeth, and nods again. “Yes.”

The chanting gets louder and faster, or maybe that’s just my pulse pounding. I situate myself between her legs, doing my best to shield her, and slowly rake my palm down her body from the dip of her throat, over her peaked nipples, to her stomach. The tips of my fingers reach her underwear band, and I hesitate. There’s no going back.

“Just—Just take them off,” she says, her voice low and breathy. If I take them off, that’s allowing everything on display for them. There’s no way I’m sharing the sight of her perfect pussy with anyone else. The only exceptions are Damon and Leon, only if she ever wants that, and if it were consensual. But even the thought of them seeing her, touching her, sends a wave of anger through me. I’m not there yet.

I slide my palm over her underwear, dragging my fingers slowly over her clit and between her lips. She’s soaked through them. Fuck. She feels so good. My cock throbs from one touch. I want to lean in and kiss her, run my tongue down her body, taste every inch of her, but I won’t. I’m saving that. Instead, I’ll make this fast.

I repeat the motion, gliding my finger over her clit, adding pressure until she’s lifting her hips and reaching for my back. Leaning closer, I bring my lips to her ear. “Don’t you dare come, Trouble. Those sounds are for my ears only.”

“Fuck, Jasper… Please just do it.”

She wants me to fuck her. Get it over with and satisfy these asshole’s demands.

I slide her underwear to the side and drag my finger through her soaking wet folds, biting back a moan. I stop at her entrance, barely touching her. I won’t. Not here.

A soft whimper leaves her lips, and my eyes flash to hers. “They don’t deserve to hear you, baby. Hold it in. Bite me if you need to.”

She buries her face against my arm as I slide my boxers down just enough to free my cock. I give myself a quick tug, all the way down to my leaking tip. Even here, like this, I’m gone for her. Her gorgeous gray eyes are on mine as I press myself against her pussy, grab her outer leg and wrap it around my hip to hide most of our bodies from view.

I won’t fuck her. But they don’t have to know that.

“Fuck, baby. You’re so incredible.” I whisper for only her to hear as I glide my cock between her lips. “So perfect.”

The chanting takes on a different rhythm now. Faster and more haunting. I refuse to look at them. For all I know, they could be beating off to us, and then I’d really have to kill them.

Falin rocks her hips and I almost slip inside her. “Shit,” I pant. “I need you to stay nice and still for me.”

“What?” she asks, breathless.

“Please, baby. I’m barely holding on.” She flashes me a confused look but then buries her face back into my arm as I glide my head over her clit. Her teeth sink into my skin, giving me the perfect pain to focus on. “Yes, do it again.”

She bites lower, sucking my skin into her mouth. I shudder, hissing a breath. I up my pace, grinding my cock against her, holding her hips still. “Oh my God,” she says, muffled against my skin.

She’s going to come on my cock. Holy fuck.

I close my eyes and block out everything around me. The chanting. This sterile room full of weirdos. The fact that we’re here on a job—a job that could save lives. The only thing that matters in this moment is her.

I feel it tingling at the base of my spine and shooting through my limbs. I’m going to fucking come. Then she opens her filthy mouth and I know I’m done for.

“Come on me, Jasper. We need to make it real.”

Oh, it is real. So fucking real.

Another soft whimper leaves her lips as I rub myself against her clit again and again and… shit. I push up to kneel just as my cock explodes, shooting hot streams across her belly. I’m panting like I ran a marathon and as I look down, she is too.

For that moment it’s only the two of us, soaking in what we just shared. Hell, she’s more incredible than I ever even imagined.

The room suddenly goes quiet, the abrupt change jolting me back into the here and now. I grab my jacket and lay it over her, then get myself dressed.

“The offerings are complete!” Fairfax booms, making me jump out of my skin. I bend to pick up Falin’s dress, once I’m buttoned up, and stand in front of her as she pulls it over her head. “Blood has been spilled, wealth surrendered, and innocence sacrificed. They have proven themselves worthy of our fellowship.”

My jaw clenches as he turns to address the masked figures. I so badly want to grab Falin and book it out of here. “Tonight, we welcome two more into our ranks. No longer are they outsiders—they are bound to us by deeds that can never be undone.”

Well, he’s not wrong. What just happened can never be undone… or forgotten.

He steps forward, raising his hand like he’s some kind of twisted reverend. “Rise, brother Whitaker. Rise, sister Orlova. The darkness has embraced you. Welcome to the brotherhood.” His eyes gleam with satisfaction. “May your loyalty never waver… for you know the price of betrayal.”

Wonderful. Another group that’ll want us dead. Aren’t we lucky?

I carefully zip Falin’s dress, letting my fingers trail down her side until I reach her hand. I slide my palm beneath hers, waiting to see how she’ll react. The small, unspoken gesture will tell me so much about how she’s feeling at this moment. Are we broken or can we get through this? Time stretches on forever, but then I feel her weave her fingers between mine, gripping my hand. I breathe out, knowing that we’ll be okay.

A trilling sound begins from the back of the space, and within seconds, more begin. Different noises—clanging, chiming, reverberating through the room. Fairfax chuckles and gestures to one of his masked helpers on the dais. “Ah, just in time. Happy New Year, brothers.”

More masked servers come from side doors, carrying trays of champagne and amber liquid, passing them throughout the seated men.

Fairfax gestures for us to take our seats, but I interject. “We need to get cleaned up.”

His eyes dart between us before he nods. “Very well. Don’t take long. I’d like you here so you can relay details to Ivan personally. After all, it’s thanks to your hard work that this is possible.”

Fairfax waves us off and I squeeze Falin’s hand, leading her toward the stairwell. We press our backs against the cool stone wall, keeping our eyes on the dais. From here we can watch, we can run, we can fight if we have to. The shadows offer us some much-needed cover.

Now that we’re able to whisper freely, I lean in, still on alert. “Are you alright?”

She sniffs but inclines her head. “I’m fine. What’s the plan?”

My throat turns to sand before I can answer her. A side door opens and Fairfax’s masked lap dogs come through, dragging a group of people with black bags covering their faces. They’re all dressed in white, slip-looking dresses on the women and cotton pants and undershirts for the few men. Each one has a large number written in ink on their chest. Fifteen—there’s more than a dozen of them.

Their feet drag across the floor in an unnatural shuffle. Some stumble, others sway, but none resist. Are they drugged? If they are, whatever they’ve been given has turned them into puppets. The way they move makes bile rise to my throat. It’s too mechanical, too wrong. Like watching shells of living beings take a death march.

“Oh my God,” Falin breathes.

As the last of them line up before the crowd like some sick collection of dolls, one thought slams into my mind.

Bailey.

Could my sister be one of them?