Page 7 of Broken Discipline
“Finn Carter. The second man you entertained. By yourself too.”
Finn Carter.I would have to remember that name. His gray eyes filled my mind like a fading memory, the ghost of his knuckles on my cheek making me shiver. I touched my cheek, pressing my fingers into the tender skin, then flinched. I had forgotten about the bruise Bruce’s cousin had given me. Would it cause permanent damage?
Bruce saw my concern and waved it off.
“A minor concussion,” he said. He reached into the hidden compartment again and retrieved a bottle of water, handing it to me, as if to say,See? I do care.“You can survive minor concussions. The human brain works wonders, my dear.”
Except between pregnancy, motherhood, and ‘minor’ concussions, my memory was foggy at best.
“I can’t say how grateful I am that Upchurch found you, darling,” he said, putting an arm around my back. I silently thanked Finn for unknowingly protecting me from my husband’s touch. “My cousin—Upchurch—he likes you, you know. We’re still working on the details, and to be quite honest, I don’t know if we’ll ever come to an agreement that works forbothof us. But he picked you out for me, and one day, when I’m gone, he wants to take care of my business, the twins, and you.” He laughed, holding his chest. “It’ll be good to see everything go into the family, you know. Especially a board member.”
“Board member, sir?” I asked.
“Yes. Upchurch is a board member of the Marked Blooms Syndicate.”
Those words meant nothing to me. The Marked Blooms Syndicate had contacted me a year and a half ago, offering me the arranged marriage with Bruce, but I still didn’t know anything about the secret society.
Feeling bold—after all, Bruce was pleased with my performance at the Masquerade—I leaned forward, readying myself to ask a bolder question.
“Whatisthe Marked Blooms Syndicate, sir?” I asked.
“It’s a secret society,” he said, shoving a dismissive hand in my direction. “Think of it as a network for people like me. We pay our dues, provide our services to other members, use other members’ services, and reap the benefits.”
In theory, it made sense. Maybe it was like a fraternity or a sorority, where networking possibilities carried on long after the college years. But in practice, I didn’t understand why it was important. My husband was wealthy beyond imagination, as he owned one of the biggest brokerage firms in the nation. He didn’tneeda secret society to help him. He must have been in it for something else.
My mind wandered to those icy gray eyes. Why wouldFinnneed a secret society?
“Is Finn a member of the Marked Blooms Syndicate too, sir?” I asked.
My husband’s eyes curiously glossed over my body.
“You like him?” he asked.
I lifted my shoulders slightly, lowering my eyes. Answering honestly wasn’t a real option; Bruce had told me that he liked sharing, but after letting his cousin have me, I knew Bruce liked sharing mypain,not my pleasure. I didn’t want him to ruin that with Finn.
“No, sir,” I lied.
He cleared his throat, then turned back to the front of the car, facing the tinted partition.
“Well, yes, darling. Finn is officially a member. As of tonight,” he said. He swallowed the rest of his whiskey, then glanced out the dark window to his side. “The man sacrificed his father for his membership tonight. Can you imagine that? The poor bastard was dying anyway, but it still hurts to kill your own, you know? It’s why I can’t participate myself anymore. It’s always better when I can watch someone else do it. It’s hard on me, darling. Very hard.”
My jaw hung open. Hard onhim?I wanted to laugh. Bruce was fit for an older man, but age made his double chin hang down like a tandem hammock. His gray hair was textured with thin streaks of black, color that had only shown up a few nights ago as if he had gotten his hair dyed specifically to look younger and impress the other members at the Masquerade. But his words haunted me. If Finn had killed his father for membership in the Marked Blooms Syndicate, what was his reasoning for wanting membership so badly?
But it explained Finn’s vacant stare. He had been attentive at times and lost at others. Like his mind kept flipping between me and his father.
We had both been distractions for each other, then.
“How does a person become a member, sir?” I asked.
“Well,” Bruce paused, thumbing his thin lips, then crossed his arms over his chest. “After a series of interviews with the board members, like Upchurch, you’re given three initiation tests. One, you must provide your own unique services. Two, you must take care of an enemy of the Marked Blooms Syndicate. And three, you must sacrifice someone you love, like Finn did with his father.”
I raised a brow, meeting Bruce’s eyes for once. His black pupils stared into me, daring me to defy him, to see what he could do. His soul was like a dark, lifeless cavern.
“Sacrifice someone you love, sir?” I asked.
“Sacrifice sounds so violent. But the truth is that the sacrifices don’talwaysdie,” he explained, “But male sacrifices usually do, especially if we need to test the potential member’s loyalty. Women, on the other hand, we can use more repeatedly. There are a few members that enjoy using men, but they tend to bring their own. They’re open to sharing, but never to sacrificing.”
I puzzled over it in my head. Finn had sacrificed his father. Had Bruce sacrificed me?
