Page 11

TEN

ACCEPTANCE

POST SCRIPT: FINCH

CALISTA

W alking into the apartment, instead of the anticipated darkness and silence at nearly three in the morning, I find Five, Dominic, and Killian sprawled across the living room couch, shirtless, the television competing unsuccessfully with the blaring radio. The usual detritus of their lifestyle—uncapped needles, rolled-up bills, and a graveyard of empty bottles—litter the floor and countertops, all swallowed in a thick haze of smoke.

"What the fuck is going on here?" I ask, a grin dancing on my chapped lips.

Their silence is deafening, their shocked stares spotlighting me in a way that sends a shiver down my spine, triggering a visceral flashback to my childhood performances in my parents' basement. Glancing down, I notice the blood—Gunnar's blood—staining my clothes.

Fuck.

"We could ask you the same question," Dominic mumbles, his gaze fixed on the crimson stain spreading across my shirt.

"Oh, this?" I wave it off nonchalantly, heading to the kitchen for a beer, desperately searching for an excuse. But as the cold liquid quenches my thirst, a realization dawns on me: I don't give a damn what they think.

Our relationship wasn't what it once was, and after everything, it never would be again. Yet, I loved them. I trusted them. Lingering resentment still surfaced occasionally, a ghost of grudges I thought I'd buried. But mostly, I'm content. My overwhelming fear, however, is the potential loss of Ash—a loss that could shatter our fragile bond irrevocably.

Returning to the couch, I almost drain my beer in a single gulp, their eyes following my every move, lingering on the blood splatters across my clothes and the smears across my chest and cheeks. I look fucking terrifying, and yet, exhilaratingly so.

"Relax. I haven't killed anyone... yet," I say, settling onto the armrest beside Dominic.

"Yet?" Dominic echoes, his fingers tightening around a loaded needle.

"It's Gunnar's fucking blood. He's chained up a few blocks away. Just had a little fun, not a big fucking deal," I snap, as if it's the most ordinary thing in the world. Which, in a way, it is.

"When did you get your hands on him?" Killian growls, his jaw clenched, his eyes blazing with anger.

"Tonight. Picked him up outside the bar. Easy as fuck to drag his drunk ass to the warehouse," I shrug, emptying my nightly medication into my palm and washing it down with the rest of my beer, my gaze sweeping across their faces.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Dominic snaps, mirroring Killian's fury.

"And why didn't you tell me about your little extracurricular activities last night?" I smirk, already privy to the events of a few hours prior.

Their shock is palpable, their minds racing to understand how I know. They should know—I always fucking know everything.

"What are you talking about?" Dominic stammers, defeat coloring his eyes dark.

"Your little encounter with the congressman. I know, Dom. I know everything." I wink, lighting a cigarette, mirroring Five's action.

"Wait, what the hell did I miss?" Five asks, his confusion plain and utterly captivating in its vulnerability. He looks... incredibly hot.

"Dom and Kill took out one of their father's friends," I explain, addressing Five while maintaining eye contact with Dominic for dramatic effect.

The secrecy and nervousness are almost endearing. Cute, even. A slow smile finally spreads across Dominic's face, a mixture of relief and something akin to… admiration?

He leans in, his voice low, conspiratorial. "You know, for a moment there, I thought you were going to flip your lid."

Killian, simply nods, the tension visibly easing from his shoulders. He picks up a discarded bottle, examining it with a detached curiosity. The anger hasn't completely vanished, but it's simmering now—a controlled burn rather than a fucking raging inferno. Five, however, remains bewildered, his gaze flitting between us, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"So... you knew about... the congressman?" He asks, looking at me as if trying to decipher a hidden message in my eyes.

I take a long drag from my cigarette, the smoke curling around my face like a halo. "Let's just say I have my… sources. And my methods." I pause, letting the implication hang heavy in the air. "Besides," I add with a wink, "where's the fun in being surprised?"

The silence that follows is comfortable, a shared understanding woven from years of unspoken loyalty and chaotic camaraderie. It's the silence of complicity, of shared secrets and dangerous games. The blood on my clothes, the haze of smoke, the scattered paraphernalia—it's all part of the landscape of our lives, a familiar picture to our twisted, beautiful mess.

"So," I say, breaking the comfortable silence, "let's celebrate our… successful evening." I gesture towards the depleted bottles, a smirk playing on my lips. "Though I think we need to restock. And maybe get some stronger stuff. This cheap shit is hardly worthy of our accomplishments."

Dominic laughs, a genuine, hearty sound that echoes through the apartment. Killian cracks a rare smile, a flicker of amusement in his usually serious eyes. Even Five, still slightly dazed, manages a weak grin. The tension is gone, replaced by a familiar sense of friendship and love, a shared understanding that binds us together, despite—or perhaps because of—the darkness that surrounds us.

The night is far from over, and the potential for more chaos looms large, but for now, we're content, united in the madness. The blood, the secrets, the looming threats—they're all just part of the story, another chapter in our ongoing saga. And as long as we have each other, we have no problem facing whatever comes next.

Twenty minutes later, Dom returns with a few more bottles from the neighborhood's only open liquor store. We move the party to the balcony, continuing to drink heavily while injesting poisonous drugs into our bodies, becoming completely obliterated.

Nestled on Killian's lap, my feet resting on Five's and my head on Dom's, I gaze at the stars—the same stars Ash had looked at the night he overdosed. A sharp pang of grief pierces my heart, and tears well in my eyes.

Dominic notices, gently massaging my scalp, his touch soothing my frayed nerves. Warm fingers trace up my legs, a light pressure stirring my senses. Looking down, I see Five's mischievous grin as he slowly moves his hand higher. Killian, understanding what's happening, subtly slips his hand beneath my shirt, his warm skin against mine. This is exactly what I want, what I fucking need. I need all of them, and tonight, I plan to get exactly what I want.

Dominic leans down, his mouth meeting mine, and he kisses me with Killian's hand cupping my breast, his thumb flicking my pierced nipple. I moan into Dom's mouth as Five's fingers dip beneath the band of the underwear I put on after a quick shower to get rid of the blood covering me, teasingly gliding up and down my pussy, soaking his fingers in my wetness.

The tepid breeze helps to cool off my burning body, but each thrust, flick, and pinch from the three of them continues to engulf me, making it so the air has no effect on me anymore. Dom's hand wraps around my throat like usual—his favorite place on my body, it seems. He continues to kiss me as I fight to keep up with the chaos his tongue creates in my mouth. I shake, moaning as Five's fingers slide inside me, slowly and teasingly thrusting in and out, making me cry out for more.

"Let's go inside," Killian whispers, cupping my other breast, trying to make my nipple just as hard and sensitive as the other one.

I nod, pulling my mouth away from Dom's, licking his spit off my lips with a seductive wink. Climbing off Killian's lap, I'm the first one in the apartment, shedding my clothes on the way to his bedroom. They follow me like lost puppy dogs, their eyes seducing me the moment I turn around to face them.

"Strip," I demand, reaching for my knife to have a little fun with.

I sit on the bed and twirl it around in my fingers, spreading my legs slowly to show off my soakee pussy, making them freeze just inches away from me. Since they wanted to mark me, I think it's only fair that I get to mark them... wherever I fucking want.

"Five, come here, baby," I purr, licking my lips as I beckon him to me with the flick of my finger.

He listens, of course, eagerly stopping in front of me and closing the gap. Killian and Dom stay put, already stroking themselves as they watch me suck Five's thick, pierced dick into my mouth, my eyes on his as I take him all the way inside until the warm, swollen tip hits the back of my throat. He grabs my hair, fisting it as I begin to bob my head on him, moaning around his dick and making his body shudder from the sensation.

"Fuck yeah, Little Mystery. Suck my dick. Let me fill your throat with my cum," he groans, his head rolling back onto his shoulders.

And when his eyes shut and he isn't paying attention, I bring the knife up to his groin and press the tip into the shaved area right above his cock. Right away he snaps his head down and flings his eyes open to see what I'm doing. His grip tightens, a flicker of fear in his eyes only turning me on more. With one hand, I reach around and cup his ass, digging my nails into his muscular cheek. With the knife, I begin to slowly carve into his skin, listening to him hiss through his clenched teeth, but taking it like a fucking champ.

Blood from each letter of my name drips onto his cock, and I suck it into my mouth, cleaning it off, amazing him it seems. His body trembles. His cock pulses. His grip on my hair getting even harder. But I continue to suck until I feel hot spurts of cum land on the back of my tongue, just as I finish carving my name into his skin. I swallow every drop, still holding onto the knife as I look into his glassy eyes. When I let his cock fall from between my lips, he curiously looks down at what I did and chuckles, collapsing on the bed to catch his breath.

"Touché," he says, nodding to my handy work.

"You like that?" I ask, licking his blood and cum off my lips, sneaking my hand between my legs, and pushing the handle of the knife into my pussy, giving Killian and Dominic a show.

"I didn't, but I do now," he admits. "That shit burns now."

"Try getting it tattooed there." I wink, reminding him that I did exactly that with all of their names all over my body.

I look at the two standing in front of me, fisting their dicks as they watch me fuck myself with my knife I just used on Five. I snap my fingers to get their attention, their eyes shooting up to meet mine in a split second.

"Who's next?" I ask, slowly sliding the handle out and pushing it back in my pussy even slower as I spread my legs even wider.

An eager Killain steps forward before Dominic can, reaching down and squeezing my throat as he plunges his cock into my mouth before I can say another word. I smile around him, taking the knife out of my pussy and putting the handle against Five's lips, silently urging him to open them. He does, and I push it into his mouth, watching as he sucks my arousal off. Once it's clean, I turn back to Killian, looking up at him with my brow raised and his cock deep in my mouth, my tongue curling around the base as I suck.

As he begins to thrust his hips, still squeezing my throat, I bring the knife into view and begin cutting into his skin, carving my name with slow, deliberate slices right over the colorful tattoos he has etched into his groin. He hisses, enjoying the pain and pleasure that make his beautiful eyes roll back in his head.

His cock pulses against my tongue, and just as I think he's gonna come, he pulls out of my mouth and showers my tits with his cum, ignoring the blood dripping down his pelvis. Hot, sticky strings slide down my chest and stomach, slipping between my legs and landing on my pussy, making us both shiver. He grins, letting my throat go, and leans down to steal a kiss before collapsing on the other side of me on the bed. He snatches the knife out of my hand and shoves it between my legs covered in his cum, then eases the handle into my pussy, fucking me with it while pushing his cum as deep inside of me as he can.

"Fuck, I love having my cum inside you, Little Psycho," he grunts, winking as he licks his lips and stares at my pussy as it swallows the knife with ease.

"Stop hogging her," Dom snaps, taking the initiative and stepping forward to claim his place in front of me.

He reaches between my legs and yanks the knife out of my pussy, sucking the handle into his mouth and licking it clean while he stares into my eyes, almost challenging me in a way. I reach up and grab the top of the blade, pulling the knife out of his mouth. Dom reaches down and squeezes my cheeks, forcing his long, thick cock into my mouth in a single thrust that makes me gag around the tip from the force of his movement.

Repeating the process, I cut into his skin, marking his body with my name while he fucks my mouth ruthlessly, not even giving me the chance to suck him off. So I let him use me as he pleases, taking it all without gagging again. I focus on my bleeding name inches away from my eyes as the guys beside me begin to touch my body, setting all my nerves on fire even more.

Before he can come in my mouth, he pulls out, forcing his orgasm at bay, which takes some impeccable strength. He subtly nods at Five, then at Killian, leaving me lost as to what's happening. That is until I'm suddenly lifted onto Five's lap and slammed on his cock, my ass burning from the sudden invasion as he pulls my back against his chest and opens my legs wider for Dominic.

Killian gets off the bed and gets behind Dom, pushing on his lower back as he bends his knees and thrusts into his ass, fucking him hard and fast as Five continues to slam me down on his cock. I moan, biting my lip as Dom bends down slightly, guiding his cock to my needy pussy and entering me in a deliciously slow thrust that completely fills me up.

The four of us are connected, fucking each other fast and brutally, not feeling an ounce of pain due to the drugs and alcohol overloading our systems. Eventually, the three of them fall into a sensual rhythm, their thrusts matching methodically, their grunts and groans a soothing melody that echoes around the room as the four of us become one hot, sticky mess.

"Fuck me," I plead, and not to anyone in particular, just knowing I need more—so much more. "Make it fucking hurt," I beg, closing my eyes with visions of Ash dancing around my mind.

Five sinks his teeth into the side of my neck as he ruthlessly slams me down on his cock, my ass burning as he stretches out my tight muscle. Dominic continues to pound into my pussy, hitting my spot with force and determination as Kill fucks his ass hard and deep, the sound of slapping skin and painful moans loudly filling the room and echoing in my ears.

My body goes limp after a while, my cum soaking Dom's cock as he spills his cum so deep inside of me it'll drip out for days. My ass pulses in pleasure as Five comes, holding onto my hips as he holds me in place, pushing me down on his cock so I feel every inch of him ripping me apart.

The four of us collapse on the bed, skipping the part where we clean each other up and make sure we're all okay. Instead, we lay together, a hot, sweaty mess of tangled limbs, smoking our after-sex cigarette to help us come down from the unbelievable high.

"Fuck, did anyone else think that was better than usual?" Five asks, still gasping to catch his breath.

"Yeah, I'm still feeling like I could go again," Killian laughs, his head resting on my stomach.

"We can. I'm game," I laugh, blowing a cloud of smoke into the air, a wide grin on my face as my clit throbs in extreme need.

The moment is ruined by the ringing of a cell phone in someone's discarded clothes in the hall. No one gets up, and eventually the ringing stops. But seconds later, my phone and Killian's phone ring at the same time, and we look at each other in shock and confusion.

"Who the fuck-" I begin, but then I shoot up, scurrying to hurry and find my phone, a sliver of hope and dread inside thinking it might be the hospital about Ash.

I manage to find my phone first, and I answer breathlessly as I hang off the edge of the bed with my naked ass in the air.

"Hello?" I answer, breathing heavily.

"Is this Calista Harlow?" The person on the other end asks, and my heart beats uncontrollably as I answer, still trying to catch my breath.

"Yes. Yes, it is. This is Calista."

"This is Doctor Ryan from Good Samaritan Hospital. Do you have a minute to talk about Ash Moretti?" He asks, his tone unreadable, which makes me nervous as I try to sit up and put the phone on speaker, biting on my tongue as I try to calm myself down.

"Of course. Is Ash okay? Please, Doctor, tell me that he's okay."