I don’t know how long I’ve been asleep, but the shuffling of clothes and muttered curses wakes me.
Turning, I see Karl fumbling to put on his pants in the dark. “Where are you going?”
He jumps. “Shit. I thought you were sleeping.”
“Surprise,” I joke.
He shakes his head and continues to pull on his clothes.
I climb over sleeping bodies before asking again, “Where are you going?”
He zips up his pants and then answers. “I have a hunch I need to check on.”
I open my mouth to ask what’s the hunch when his finger presses to my lips. “I’ll tell you once I know for sure if I’m right or not. I won’t be gone long. Get back in bed,” he suggests before placing a quick peck on my lips.
“Shouldn’t you bring someone with you?” I start and search for clothes of my own to join him. I don’t want him going by himself.
“Nope. This isn’t that kind of situation. I’ll be fine, I promise.”
Karl pulls on his shirt and walks toward the door.
“Hey,” I whisper-shout, and he looks back. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
He turns back and scoops me in a hug. “I’ll be back before you know it, Angel,” he murmurs, kissing me, this time coaxing my mouth open.
I grumble when he pulls back.
I love you is on the tip of my tongue, but I swallow it. Instead, I say, “I’ll be here waiting.”
KARL
Following up on a hunch, I pull up outside Senator Baker’s house and wait.
Based on the information Liam’s been able to dig up, I have a theory on who could be meeting with the Senator.
Madeline kept saying shit like we’d never see it coming, but we saw Elise coming. At least we did once we had all of the information.
The number of families in Calloway who were stripped of their titles and either forced to move or be killed is almost surprising. The Bellonae Filiae planned this for a long time, and they almost succeeded- because we got cocky. I refuse to be caught sleeping again. Not with Emma’s life at stake.
Elise is gone, but that doesn’t mean the threat is.
I refuse to believe it’s all that simple.
Senator Baker is tied to this- I fucking know he is. Antonio, I snicker, remembering his cries, said as much, and so does all the evidence.
Madeline wouldn’t say shit about it. The stupid cunt died protecting him, and Elise laughed and said she’d never partner with the dumb fuck. But I know something’s there- which is why, just like the last few nights, I sit here and watch.
I have a few hours before I need to head to the Tombs for our vote.
Like there’s anything to vote about.
Emma is our Chosen, and I’ll fucking cut out the heart of any idiot who is dumb enough to say otherwise.
Everyone is on board, though. So I won’t need to slice anyone. Seb is still a ways off from falling for her, but that hasn’t stopped him from seeing how many times he can make her come before she taps out.
I snort, remembering the scene on the hood of the car when we tied that bitch Vivian to the gate and made her watch Sebastian fuck Emma. Vivian’s threats and wails in protest paled in comparison to the sound of Emma coming. I wasn’t sure if it was the sight of Emma on the car as we all made her come or her doing what she told
Miss Taylor she’d do if she didn’t stop fucking playing around that had me hard all the way home.
My dick was so hard that night. Fuck. It’s hard now just thinking about it.
Sliding my hand down, I grip my shaft, squeezing and contemplating whether I should rub one out while I wait when a black car pulls up, turning into the driveway. Finally, the garage opens, and the car drives in, prohibiting me from seeing who’s driving.
Fuck.
I climb out of my car and make my way around the back of the house. I know it’s not Baker. That prick’s car is sitting in the driveway. This leads me to ask myself why he would park there, while the vehicle visiting pulls into the garage.
It’s a good thing I already had the scoop of this place and know he likes to leave his back door cracked.
I creep along the hedges beside the door and poke my head around. No one’s there, but I hear voices.
“Matthew, I told you I’d handle it, didn’t I? I have them all eating out the palm of my hand. I made them all think Elise was in control,” a distorted voice says.
I fucking knew this wasn’t over.
I can’t make out who it is, but I need to capture this.
Pulling out my phone, I duck when I hear the voices get closer and hit record.
“I never doubted you, not for one minute,” the other person states, whom I can make out as the Senator.
“It won’t be long now,” the gleeful voice responds.
Who the fuck is this person? They sound like they’re using some voice distortion device.
“Good, then you’ll be mine, and so will the presidency,” Senator Bakers exclaims.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.