Damaged Queen Read online

  “Then why didn’t you kill her last night?”

  “I liked having her choke on my cock. I decided I’m looking forward to breaking her. She stares at me like she wants to kill me.” He smirked. “It kind of reminds me of high school.”

  “And why do you find that so amusing?”

  “Because I fell in love with her in high school. I fell in love with that spirit, and it was all a lie. I’m going to break her. When she no longer looks at me with that fire in her eyes, I know I’ll have done what I need.”

  “And then what?”

  “Then she goes up for auction. She’ll be a prize to any man. A submissive hole for them to use at their will or something to beat and hurt.” Draven smiled.

  “When are you going to tell her Buck and Jett are dead?”

  “It bothers you, doesn’t it? That she doesn’t know.”

  “She’s asked about them.”

  “I know she has.”

  “Don’t you think it’s fucking time she knows what she did? What she caused?”

  Draven watched the young woman he hired to cook and wait for him.

  “Laurie,” he said,

  He watched her flinch, but he knew she was loyal.

  He’d stopped one of his colleagues from raping her, and since then, she’d been a loyal little servant, always willing to do his bidding, even wait on the ungrateful slut upstairs.

  “How is my guest?” he asked.

  Laurie’s head dropped. “She hasn’t eaten anything, sir.”

  “What?”

  “Her meals are always left untouched.”

  “She goes to the bathroom.”

  “Yes, Philip is always there. She, erm, she has new bruises on her face.”

  Draven noticed her hands were clasped together, and she was shaking. “Have you seen Philip strike her?”

  She looked up at him, and he saw the fear in her eyes.

  “I’ll protect you.” He didn’t like that Philip had scared this young girl. She had no family of her own. He knew that because he’d gone looking for them, hoping to return her. She’d been one of the women from Ralph’s last good batch.

  He’d gotten the details from her and ran a check. Ralph had killed her entire family. Laurie would have fetched a lot of money, only Ralph had raped her, taking her virginity and in the process, had scarred her. Now, she was used and damaged goods, which was why he allowed her to work for him.

  He wasn’t entirely cold.

  “He … touches her. He hits her, sir. He knows that you don’t go up there.”

  Draven was out of his seat in a second. Laurie jumped away from him.

  “Go into the kitchen. Do not come out until I say so.”

  “He was heading up to her room, sir.”

  Axel was already out of the door.

  Philip was … dangerous.

  Draven had hired him to keep the girls in line, as he didn’t have a problem with hurting them if they needed to be given a warning.

  Everything he once hated, he had become. There was a time, he would beat the women to keep them in line. His father demanded it of him, and each strike had been torture to his very soul. Alan had tried to break him, and failed.

  Women, drugs, guns, anything that had a price tag, he sold, apart from children.

  He drew the line there.

  Yeah, it makes a total difference that you have standards.

  He stormed into the bedroom, and just in time as well.

  Philip had Harper bound. Her other hand was locked into place, and he had her spread. He saw something inside her ass, and Philip’s pants were down around his ankles. He was about to pull his cock out.

  Draven saw red.

  He gave Philip one set of instructions: to help Laurie assist Harper. When he was ready to give her to his men to use as he saw fit, he would do it. His instructions, his very fucking law, had been ignored.

  Harper’s body was covered in bruises. Some of them, he and Axel had put there.

  “I’ve not touched her,” Philip said.

  “You were about to.”

  “I didn’t touch her though. Come on, Draven, she’s still yours. I was just giving her a taste of what was to come.”

  With Jett’s knife in his hand, Draven slid it into Philip’s abdomen. Philip grunted, his grip weak as he tried to stop him.

  He liked to keep Jett’s knife sharp so all it took was a flick of the wrist and the person who defied him was dead.

  “When I give an instruction, I expect it followed to the very letter. You have failed me, Philip. I don’t like failures, and you know what I do with them?” He pulled the knife out, only to pierce the fucker’s heart. “I dispose of them.”

  He pulled the knife out. It was covered in blood.

  There were two gaping wounds, the one on Philip’s stomach leaking blood onto the carpet, where it was soaked, and the other out of his chest.

  Sobs echoed around the room, and Draven turned to see Harper.

  Philip had pushed a dildo into her ass. He saw the lube, and it looked like she’d been whipped with a belt as well. There were welts over her back and thighs. He watched as Axel pulled the dildo from her ass.

  “Let me go. Please.” She tugged on the cuffs that bound her.

  Axel looked toward him.

  “Get her out of here.”

  Axel released her from the bed and left the room.

  Draven stared down at the mess and called his cleaning crew. Giving them the order over the phone, he went into the bathroom and cleaned the blood from his blade. Next, he removed his clothing, and as he left the bathroom, his men were already in the process of removing the body.

  “Here, take this.” He tossed them his blood-soaked clothing, and went to his closet. After pulling on some clothes, he found Axel on the second floor, outside one of the guest bedrooms. “Why are you out here?”

  “I wanted to give her some privacy.”

  “Why?”

  “She won’t stop crying.” Axel rubbed at his eyes. “Fuck, it reminds me of when we were younger. I know it’s fucked up, and she’s going to die. Just give me a fucking minute.”

  Shaking his head, Draven entered the room. Harper was curled up on the floor. She looked a mess. Her hair was wet, and he figured she’d had a shower.

  “Is that what your orders were? To have a man come and beat me? Rape me?”

  “No. He was to assist you to the bathroom.”

  “So none of your men listen to you. Good to know.”

  “Philip has been dealt with. Get dressed.”

  “Screw you.”

  Draven smiled. “Even beaten and nearly raped, you still have a spine.”

  “Do you know what he put in my ass?” she asked, lifting up from her spot on the carpet.

  “It wasn’t his cock.”

  “I can’t even believe you’re saying that.”

  “What, you think you’re the only woman on the planet that has a cock in her ass? I’ve seen a woman take two in her ass, and it wasn’t even on porn either.”

  “Huh?”

  “You’ve heard of anal, right?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “You’ve never done it?”

  “Of course not. It’s gross.”

  He laughed. “Some women love it when a man fucks their ass.”

  “I’m not having this conversation with you.”

  “Get dressed,” he said.

  “I don’t trust you. I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  “I’m taking you someplace. Get dressed or I’ll send a man who will show you exactly how he fucks an ass.”

  She got to her feet. “I don’t have any clothes.”

  He went to one of the drawers. He kept spare clothes in every single room of the house.

  Grabbing out a pair of sweatpants, he threw them at her, followed by a shirt.

  “I’ll have your sneakers downstairs waiting for you.”

  “What about underwear?”

  “You don’
t need it. The clothes I’ve given you are sufficient.” He left the bedroom, and Axel was there. “Bring her to the car when you’re done. You’re coming with us.”

  “Where exactly are you taking her?” Axel asked.

  “You wanted her to know the truth. I agree. It’s time she knew it as well. I’m taking her to Jett and Buck.”

  “Now? After what she has just gone through?”

  “Wow, you know, I wonder about you sometimes.”

  “Come on, Draven. This isn’t about me. It’s about you and how you’re dealing with her being here. I saw the look on your face when you saw him. You may hate Harper right now, but there’s a part of you that still wants her.”

  “You’re fucking clueless, Axel. I don’t want her. She’s going to be punished for what she did. Harper’s strong anyway. We got there in time.” He shrugged. “You don’t think she’s going to experience worse by the time we sell her? Come on, put on your big boy pants, and shut up moaning. It’s boring, and tedious, and I don’t have time for this.”

  He turned on his heel, walking away.

  “You’re sure you’re not going to regret this?”

  Draven sighed and looked back at Axel. The scars on his face made him an ugly fucker.

  “What am I going to regret?”

  “Treating her like this? Pushing her aside. Selling her off? Killing her? You had feelings for her once.”

  “Not anymore!” He yelled, silencing Axel. “This is one of the many reasons why I’m the boss and you just work for me. You’re way too emotional. Do you remember why we lost Buck? Jett? Do you remember why your face is scarred?”

  Axel nodded his head.

  “At every single turn, we were looking for her. Jett died because he was convinced Harper didn’t run, and his message is still unclear to me. He called me out of the blue and said he had reason to believe something wasn’t right, and he paid with a bullet to the head after being tortured for hours. You heard the autopsy report. Jett was alive while they tore him apart until finally putting a bullet in his head. Buck, he got it easy, didn’t he? One bullet, and where was I instead of helping him?”

  “You were going to check on Harper.”

  “That’s right. I was going to see that she was okay because of there being an active shooter in the mall. I tried to find her. She was gone. She made a lucky escape. Your face?”

  “I’d been following a lead when I didn’t realize I’d been tailed and my face was pressed against hot metal,” he said.

  “Now, you tell me why I should give a fuck about waiting to tell Harper the truth? How we were all nearly killed because she left?”

  “Don’t you want to hear her side, just in case? I know you, Draven. You’re angry now, but what about after?” Axel asked.

  “Right now, I don’t give a shit what lies she wants to spill. I told her to come to me. You know she hated being called a slut and a whore. Being with us, it wasn’t enough. She ran and joined our enemies, working for them, and guess what, she now gets to pay that price. I don’t care what she has to say. Stop with worrying about me, Axel. I’m not going to regret a single fucking thing I do to that bitch. Some may think this is petty. I don’t. I think it’s time she paid for what she did. You got a problem with that, then you get the fuck out of my house until I’m done, or you stick around and see what I’ve got in store for her.”

  Draven didn’t give him time to answer. He turned away and walked off.

  Axel had never had it in him to lead, to take control.

  It had been Draven who killed Axel’s dad. He’d taken him out to the whipping post, and where he’d tortured women for too many years, Draven had whipped him, over and over again. He’d made that son of a bitch bleed like others had before him. He left him out for dead, letting animals eat whatever they wanted.

  Draven went back a week later to just a corpse, which he buried in the woods.

  He’d never claimed to be a good man.

  Maybe with Harper, he had some redemption, but that had been taken from him. With every person he killed a piece of his soul was taken from him. Any light he had was wiped out, smeared by the darkness that had taken his soul.

  When the time came to kill his father five years ago, he’d done so with relish. He made his father think that he was on top. That Alan Barries was the king. He poisoned the whiskey, and as his father got drunk, he killed him. Not before he killed the cook though, and his mother. They were all loyal to Alan.

  Anyone who was loyal to his father died. The only people that survived were those that answered to him.

  He sat in the back of the car, and he didn’t have to wait too long for Harper to appear. She looked small, pale, and even vulnerable in the clothes he’d given her. Next to Axel, she looked so weak.

  The spark was there in her eyes, so she wasn’t broken. It would take a lot more to break Harper. He hadn’t forgotten the strength of her, the darkness that swirled in her eyes, calling to him.

  He did see the bruise on her cheek from being hit, which he didn’t like. Philip wasn’t given the order to hit her or in any way lay a hand on her, only to restrain her. It didn’t matter now. He shouldn’t be dwelling on what happened because it was over with. Philip had done the damage, and now it was time to move on.

  Axel opened the door, and Harper paused when she saw him.

  She gripped the jacket she wore a little tighter and climbed in. When she noticed Axel moving in behind her, she had no choice but to slide closer to him.

  He stared at her, and she looked at him. He chuckled as she looked away.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “It’s a surprise.”

  “I don’t like surprises.”

  “Everyone likes a surprise,” Axel said.

  “You mean like that guy who touched me? Who wanted to rape me and stuck a … thing up my ass?”

  “I see it’s not affecting you.”

  “Can we just stop this nonsense? I didn’t do anything wrong. This is all wrong, just stop.” She ran fingers through her hair. The jacket she wore rolled down, exposing her bruised wrist.

  “Why didn’t you scream?” Draven asked.

  “I did. No one came.”

  They hadn’t heard.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “We’re taking you to Buck and Jett.”

  “You’re taking me to them?”

  Draven heard the hope in her voice. Looking over her head, he saw Axel was glaring at him, but Draven didn’t give a fuck. He didn’t have any feelings when it came to Harper. His friend didn’t need to worry about him. Any love he had for this bitch had left him ten years ago.

  She’d find out sooner rather than later. Sure, he could tell her now, let her down gently, but he didn’t want to give her anything. His mission was to make her as miserable as possible.

  “You now live in Axel’s home,” she said, rubbing her hands across her thighs.

  “It’s my home,” Draven said, staring out of the window.

  “But I thought that was Axel’s dad’s place.” She pointed behind her.

  “It was. It’s not anymore.”

  “Where do you live?” she asked, turning to Axel.

  “I live there. I just don’t own it.”

  “And you’re okay with that?”

  “I don’t exactly mourn the place, Harper. It’s just a building and bricks. It has no real value.”

  She sighed and sat back. “I remember when it was easier to talk to you guys.”

  “You mean before you ran away and left us without a backward glance? Into the arms of the enemy just to get away from us?” Draven asked.

  “Why won’t you listen to me? It wasn’t like that. I don’t know why you won’t listen to me. I don’t even know your enemy. I worked for Alan, no one else.”

  “Let me guess, you’re going to blame Alan for everything?” Axel asked.

  Silence met his question. Of course she’d blame Alan. His father had told him that sh
e would. He rubbed at his temple.

  “Wow, he really did think ahead, didn’t he?” She folded her arms, and he saw her rub at the corner of her eye, clearly wiping away a tear.

  “It’s wrong to talk ill of the dead.”

  “You killed your own father. How could you have any respect for a man you killed?”

  “Simple, I did what I had to do. I imagine he’s happy that he nurtured such a cold-blooded killer. I won’t let anyone take my place.”

  “Not even Axel?”

  “Hey, don’t even think of getting me in this place.” Axel held his hands up. “I want no part in your two’s squabble.”

  “So you’re happy being his slave? Second best.”

  Draven chuckled.

  “First of all, I’m no one’s slave. I’m not second best. I work with Draven. We’re a fucking team.”

  “And where do Buck and Jett fit? I haven’t seen them around the house or even heard about them. No one talks about them. Have you passed them off? Kicked them out? Were they not as good as you?”

  Draven shook his head at the anger he saw in Axel’s eyes, anger which was directed at Harper. She didn’t have a single fucking clue. It was sad but not unexpected.

  “I guess you’ll find out soon enough.”

  Axel stared out the window.

  Even now, it still grieved him to have lost their friends. This was not what they envisaged when they planned to become leaders, to take over from their fathers. So much had changed.

  For one, they were still in the trade of human flesh, trafficking. Men and women passed through their hands as if they were nothing more than cattle.

  Draven had learned not to think about it, to ignore it. Life was a lot easier if he ignored what he did. There was no room in this life for weakness. Men and women died, and that was a fact of life.

  Staring out the window, he saw the cemetery coming into view. He rarely came here. He didn’t know about Axel.

  For him, it was too much.

  When it came to Buck and Jett, he’d failed them. As far as he was concerned, he’d been too obsessed with Harper, and because of that, his best friends ended up dead, and the surviving one had scars.

  “Who trashed my locker?” Harper asked, looking over at them.