Page 25

Like always, Hobbs had to have his way with me. It didn't last too long, thankfully, and the moment he left, I got ready to go out. That plan got derailed when I stepped out of my room and right into the massive body of a giant. Well, not a giant. I was about his height, but the man looked like he could bench-press a dumpster.

"If you're going out, you'll be taking Mason with you," Hobbs declared as he walked around the corner.

"Fucking seriously?" I wined.

"I told you that you wouldn't be leaving without a bodyguard."

"This is so damned stupid."

"It's either this or the shackles."

Scowling, I wrapped my arms tightly around myself and stormed off. "Fine, let's go."

My new bodyguard followed ten steps behind me. Hopefully, he would stay far enough away from me to do what I needed. First, I needed to make a pit stop. Hells Gate was packed like always, with a line stretching down the street. Bypassing it, I walked two blocks further down the road until I reached Lady Lust, the club where Cherry had spent most of her time since she paid off her debt. For my life, I couldn't figure out what her new man saw in the place. There wasn't even a line to get in. Just a few people chatting outside. How great could this place be if nobody was fighting to get inside?

The bouncer nodded and allowed me right on through. The first thing I noticed was how obnoxiously pink everything was. The walls were a bright hot pink, the floors a vibrant magenta, and even the seating and tables were a glittery shade of bubble gum. Neon lights on the walls scattered bright beams of pink and blue over everything, but at least the bar looked well-stocked.

A relieved sigh escaped my lips when I spotted my friend at a table with her new fling. He was handsome, in a rough, bad-boy type of way, with a thin frame, a narrow jaw, and a close buzz cut. His dark brown skin was covered in UV tattoos that lit up with the club's lights. He glared at me, and Cherry turned around.

She hopped from her chair and nearly tackled me. "Top angel in the house!"

I grinned, hugging her back. "Sup?"

As she pulled back, her eyes landed on the man standing behind me. "You brought a friend?"

"New bodyguard."

She cringed. "No shackles, though?"

"Not the intact ones anyway," I replied, flicking one of the broken chains with my finger.

Cherry turned to her date. "Hey, babe, would you mind bringing us three Poison Apples?"

The man got to his feet and walked to the bar; his lips were set into a deep frown the entire way.

"He really has the brooding, alpha thing down to an art, doesn't he?"

"Yep... Hey, I'm sorry I haven't been at Hell's Gate lately. Darrien hates going in that club because his ex works there," Cherry explained. "I'm working on getting him to suck it up, though. This place blows."

"I can't really hang out too long. I have something important I need to do... I need some Bliss."

"You know I don't mess with that stuff. I have Nova. Will that work?"

"No, I owe Bliss to someone," I lied. The last thing I needed was for her to pry for information.

Her big brown eyes darted around the room until they landed on a man standing off in the corner. "That guy'll have some. He's the local dealer. He's how I score my Nova."

I lingered as Darrien came back with three Poison Apples. Since this was going to be the last time I ever saw Cherry, I decided the least I could do was have one final drink with her. I nodded gratefully when her beau gave me my drink, and Cherry and I clanked our glasses together. I chugged mine down in only a few gulps. "I have to get going. Have a good night, Cherry." I pulled my friend into a tight hug.

"I'll come to Hell's Gate tomorrow night. I promise."

I offered up a half smile and nodded. I couldn't stomach lying to Cherry and telling her I would be there. It was bad enough that she was the one who led me to the tool that would be my undoing. I hoped she would get over it and realize my death wasn't her fault. Hell, out of everyone in my life, Cherry was the only one who truly understood me. As fucked up as it was, she would understand.

Wrapping my arms around myself, I walked over to the man in the corner. With pale skin, dark eyes, tattoos, and an all-black outfit, he was dangerous-looking.

"I need some Bliss."

His head tilted as he shoved a toothpick in his mouth. "How much you need?"

I considered that for a moment, not knowing the exact amount I would need to get the job done. "Enough to last the week."

"One hundred sinders."

I reached into my pocket, pulling out the last of my money. Frankly, I was amazed that a week's worth of Bliss was that cheap. I hoped it wasn't junk. But if he was the guy Cherry got her Nova from, it couldn't be that bad. The dealer was most likely selling just the right amount to last me through the week. One dose at a time.

Handing him a wad of sinders, he gave me a baggy full of tiny blue crystals, and I stuffed it into my pocket so that my damned bodyguard wouldn't see it. I didn't need Hobbs to find out about my plan until after I had done the deed.

I hugged myself again and marched out of the building, only offering a small wave to Cherry as I left. At Hell's Gate, I was let in without an issue, and sadly, so was the stupid ass bodyguard. When I got to my booth, I twirled around, stopping Mason or whatever his name was in his tracks. "You're my bodyguard, so guard. Don't let anyone in my booth. Especially not a long-haired male waiter."

He nodded, crossed his arms intimidatingly, and turned his back to me. I let out a small sigh of relief as I sat on the bench, tossing the baggie and my green case onto the table. I dumped some Bliss onto my special spoon and heated it up with a lighter before filling the syringe. Then, I heated up a second round and repeated the process. This should cause an overdose with no problem. Finally, I will be at peace.

The rubber tourniquet was tight around my arm as I stuck the needle into my skin. My teeth chattered a bit with anxiety, but eventually, I convinced myself to push the plunger. The relief was immediate. It felt wonderful, so light and fluffy. That feeling only lasted a few moments before my body became heavy. And then I fell onto my side, unable to move. I couldn't breathe. My lungs were working, but so much slower than they should be. Something dribbled from the corner of my mouth, but I couldn't move my arm to wipe it away. My body was getting cold, and as I lay there, I could hear a commotion. I couldn't tell what they were saying. It was as if someone was shouting through a wall.

The next thing I knew, someone forced me onto my back. I couldn't do anything about it. My body refused to move.

Alex stood over me, but I could only hear him speak in a muffled tone, and not all of it got through. "Isaac…" He said more words, but I couldn't make them out. "…did you take?"

He was asking me what I took. I couldn't respond, even if I wanted to. My lips didn't work. I couldn't even lick whatever was dribbling from my mouth. Alex's head turned, and I heard him shout, "He's overdosing! Get the…"

My eyesight was screwy. Everything was dark. The blackness was creeping around my vision, and things were getting further and further away. It was almost as if I were falling into a well, and when I finally hit the bottom, I would be at peace.

A sharp pain struck me in the chest, and I sat up, gasping for breath. Alex, Vic, and Mason stood over me. Too close. Before I could warn them, I vomited at their feet. "That sucked," I rasped.

Alex's eyes were wide with panic. "I reckon. You died!"

Mason reached for something in his pocket.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, afraid of the answer.

"I'm calling Hobbs."

Panic welled. Why the fuck couldn't Alex just let me die? Everything was going to be so much worse. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I glared at him. "Why didn't you just leave me be?"

He took a step back, confusion clear on his face. "I'm not just going to let you die on this bench."

"Why not? I don't want to be here anymore! I'm so fucking tired of being used!"

"We aren't going to let you kill yourself, Isaac!" Vic interjected.

Baring my teeth at him like an animal, I forced myself to my feet. My body was still heavy, but I could stand upright. "Why? So you can pay to fuck me like everyone else?"

"It wasn't supposed to happen like that! I needed to talk to you. I was fucking weak, and I'm a horrible fucking person—"

Alex grabbed his arm. "You had sex with him?"

"Yeah, he did," I sneered. "Had a grand old fucking time."

Alex shoved Vic away and leaned close to me, whispering, "It wasn't supposed to happen like that. Vic was supposed to go to Hobbs and find out how much a simple session with you was." He glared at the man in question. "You weren't supposed to accept the session right then. Not until we told Isaac what our plan was!"

"We needed to talk to him."

"Not then and there! You were supposed to book it for later that week." Alex lowered his voice, drawing me in closer. "We were trying to calculate—"

"Mr. Hobbs wants you back now!" Mason interrupted. He violently grabbed my arm and tugged me towards the exit. I tried to resist, but the man was resilient. I glanced back at Alex and Vic. I needed to know what Alex was talking about. What were they calculating? And why was Vic really in that room with me?