Page 42 of The Devil After Dark
I helped Liana get herself situated in her torn clothes and much of the dirt brushed off. She laced her fingers with mine as I guided us back through the woods, avoiding the cliff so we wouldn’t have to climb down it. I could have ripped her from that cliff when I found her, but watching the grit she had to climb it was wildly satisfying. The look on her face when she saw me watching was even more satisfying. Her simply holding my hand and accepting my support when her legs threatened to give out was probably the most satisfying part of it all. She had left something in the woods. She had left her resistance tousout there in the dirt. After another stumble, I scooped Liana into my arms to carry her the last mile. She sunk against my chest, completely resigned to letting me carry her.
Remington’s car was in the driveway when we approached thehouse. The only reason Remi would be here would be if something was wrong. I hadn’t checked my phone, and with the excitement of chasing Liana, I hadn’t heard a car pulling onto my property—then again we had been pretty far from the long driveway. I used my magic to swing the door open for us and carried Liana across the threshold. Remi was sitting on the grand staircase in the entry. His eyes scanned over Liana in a way that made the territorial side of me flair. Liana stirred and I gently set her feet on the floor, holding her close to me. “Remi, what’s up? What happened?” I asked before Remi could speak.
Remington slowly stood. “There seems to be a big problem, Cass,” he drawled, but his eyes were on Liana.
Something was very very wrong. I rarely saw Remi like this. He was usually so smugly laidback, but tonight he was on edge. A sharp sting pierced my side, just as I heard a footstep to my left. I turned to see Rome with a gun pointed right at me. I reached for my side and felt the dart protruding from my clothing. It didn’t hurt when I yanked it out and I stared at it like a fucking idiot. The dart was big enough to tranquilize a horse—and probably contained the perfect cocktail to wipe out my magic. Liana’s hand grabbed my wrist as she wrapped her arm around my waist and looked down at the dart. “Cassio!” she breathed, her voice panicked.
“Don’t worry, baby girl, I’ll take good care of you,” Remi said, his voice was far away and I could only feel Liana’s grip on me tighten as my world went black.
LIANA
Baby girl.Baby girl.The way he said those two words sent ice into my veins. Not only was Cassio falling to the ground, and with what I could only assume was a tranquilizer dart slipping from his hand,but whoever this Remi was must also be the other masked man who had been breaking into my home. “Cassio!” I screamed again as his weight brought me to the ground with him and I did everything I could to ensure he didn’t get injured in his fall.
“Liana, what did he do to you? Are you okay?” Rome was pulling me away from Cassio’s limp body and I squirmed from his grasp.
“Rome, what is going on?” I tried to get back to Cassio, but Rome’s hand firmly gripped my arm and pulled me away. “What did you shoot him with?”
“It was a precaution. He’ll be fine,” Rome said, trying to sound reassuring and failing miserably.
I yanked my arm from his grasp and backed away from the two men. “What is going on? Who areyou?” I directed my second question at this Remi—who was moving towards me in a way that meant nothing good was about to happen. Before I could flee, Remi grabbed me. “Let me go! Rome! Help me!” I shrieked. Remi didn’t let me go and Rome didn’t move to help me. I looked at Rome, pleading and he just watched, stone faced.
“He fucked you in the woods didn’t he? I bet you still have his cum leaking out of that sweet little cunt of yours,” Remi whispered into my ear as he pulled me close to his body. “I still think you liked my cock better.” His voice had changed to a perfect imitation of Cassio’s. Confirmation. He was the same build, same height as Cassio. He was the other masked man.
“Why did you shoot him?” I managed to ask, my voice shaking. I was physically exhausted and the only thing keeping me upright was sheer panic and adrenaline. While Cassio had carried me back to his home—our home—I had reasoned and rationalized this crazy and sick relationship. I wanted him and was done fighting with myself over how illogical my need for him was. Now I was staring at his limp body on the floor and clearly not getting away from the two othermen in the room.
“You don’t need to worry about that. Rome, deal with Cassio. Liana and I have a few things to take care of,” Remi said as he pulled on me to go with him. I thrashed back and in a quick movement he had me up over his shoulder and was striding up the stairs.
“Rome!” I screamed, praying Rome would save me from whatever Remi was about to do. I twisted my head so I could see him and he was completely ignoring me as he bound Cassio’s hands and feet with rope. Rome wouldn’t help me.
Remi carried me directly into Cassio’s bathroom and into the large shower. He set me down and positioned himself between me and the glass door as he turned on the water. Water soaked both our clothes as it warmed and I just glared at him. Once the water was warm, his hands reached for my clothes and I smacked them away. He just gave me a stern look, his jaw working. “Remi is it?” I asked hotly.
“Remington,” he responded stiffly.
“Remington,” I repeated. “What are you going to do to Cassio?”
“I told you not to worry about that,” he nearly growled.
“Are you going to kill him?” I wasn’t ready for the pain that question caused in my heart.
Remington’s hands reached out again and, when I smacked them away, he just pinned me against the wall and tore my shirt further, discarding the remains of it on the shower floor. Then he yanked at my pants with his free hand, eventually peeling them down. I lifted each foot for him when he glared at me and he removed my muddy shoes and pulled my pants off. If the water hadn’t been soaking us, he would have seen how completely destroyed my underwear was by Cassio’s cum. I flinched as he tore the flimsy material from my body.
“Are you going to rape me?” I asked as I now stood completely naked in front of him.
His arms caged me against the shower wall, his body blocking most of the water. Then I watched him slowly peel off hisown wet clothes. Remington’s body was so similar to Cassio’s, except his tattoos were different. I searched my brain, trying to remember every night I thought it was Cassio visiting me. Some nights the clothes, gloves, and mask remained completely on. Cassio had never called me his baby girl without a mask on … had everytime that pet name been used been Remington?
“Every time I have fucked you, you have wanted it,” Remington said and his hand slowly slid up my arm and gently up my neck, lifting my face to his. “Cassio didn’t deserve you.”
I swallowed. Who was Remington beside the masked man Cassio had let into my home? I didn’t fight him as he soaped my body and cleaned the dirt from my skin and hair. I winced as the water and soap stung cuts I didn’t realize I had. This intimate washing was one I had imagined Cassio and I would be doing together—not me and a stranger. But Remington wasn’t a stranger. He had already seen every part of me.
Remington still kept himself between me and the doors as we dried off and he selected new clothes for both of us from Cassio’s closets. I was about to follow him from the room when he stopped me and pointed to the bed. “Get some rest,” he said flatly. Then he closed the door behind himself and I heard a lock click into place. I jiggled and yanked on the handle. He had locked me in here.
forty-six
CASSIO
I wokewith my head pounding and tied to a chair in my own fucking kitchen. I squeezed my eyes and blinked as the room came into focus. It was still night, but the fuckers had turned on every light in the room. I squinted against the harsh light as pain pulsed through my head. Remi and Rome both sat across the kitchen table from me. “Good morning, sweetheart,” Remi said as he smirked at me. I just glared at him. I would never forget the way he looked at me and then Liana as I lost consciousness. Remi had been my fucking double for fifteen years and he was betraying me.
My heart beat wildly as I grit my teeth and tried to swallow the panic that was rising inside of me. What had they done with Liana? Had he already hurt her? Had he raped her? Remi examined his nails as if he was bored. Finally he spoke. “I will just get right to the point, Cass. This is a take over. You will be resigning from the council and letting go of your businesses. Do it without a fight and you get to live. Hell, I will even allow you to keep a few of your legitimate businesses if you do this without a fight.”
