Master B-0361

T he screams were immediate. They filled my apartment as I pulled Margaret into my arms, more restraining than holding her. Her body was convulsively shaking, and she kept gagging between random screams. Blood was everywhere, smeared from her neck down. It was lightly pooled on the floor where her ass had been. It was even beginning to soak through my jeans as I kept her locked down on my lap, on the sofa.

“Shhh. I got you. You’re okay, now. Shhh. Just hold on to me. Try to breathe.”

But she wasn’t focusing on breathing. She was coughing and screaming and heaving.

Fingers dug into my back, clawing through the black, fitted t-shirt I wore. With each breath I took, every scream she made, I sunk deeper into the me I’d only just started to embrace. This me was dangerous. He was all wrath, and where it had been focused all on Maggie, it had a new direction now. The invisible cord that attached me and Margaret was now thicker. Growing by the second. Joining us together by violence.

I thought she had been dead. I thought I lost her for good. Another Maggie. Gone, and not from me. But she wasn’t Maggie, and I realized that as I watched her come back to life. She was my slave, Margaret. Just Margaret. Not Maggie. But she was still mine.

“Shhh. That’s right. I got you. Can you tell me who did this to you?” My tone deepened. “I really want to know who did this.”

Sobs. Her face was buried in my neck, and it was like she was trying to get closer to me, but she was already glued to my body.

“A m-man. D-dark hair.” She gagged again, becoming sick right across her lap. “Stomach hurts. My stomach.”

“I know, baby, they’re coming. A little longer. Tell me more about this dark-haired man.”

“I-I don’t know. I’ve never seen him b-before. C-city. He saw me in the city. Ashley’s Boutique. But I didn’t come back, so he came to get me.”

The cries took back over as I closed my eyes. More anger. More fury. The city? It could have been anyone.

“He said I should have been his. H-He.”

“Breathe and hold to me. He won’t hurt you again. I can promise you that. Keep talking.”

“I don’t know. I…” Minutes passed as she cried. Knocking sounded but ended just as fast as the door flew open. Elec burst through the room, his High Leader not a step behind him.

“What happened?”

“That’s what I’d like to fucking know.” At my tone, Margaret jumped, clawing more into me. “She was shut down when I found her, Elec. Someone has my code word and they used it against her. I never told a soul. Who the fuck could do that but you ?”

“Don’t move, it hurts. Master .”

Margaret was squeezing, trying to climb and hold around me at the same time.

“I know, sweetie. Hold on. We’re going to get you help.” My glare cut up. “Elec, who the fuck got into your system? Who did this?”

“I’m trying to see. I’ve had the camera feed on your apartment up since I got the call. Almost there. Hold on.” Dark hair fell forward as his finger moved across the screen of his phone. Men were walking up in uniforms with medical bags.

“Master, we need to see the slave.”

“She’s…cut up or something. Holes. She’s covered in fucking holes.”

I stood us up, and blood raced down her legs, dripping steadily onto the floor. It had Elec’s head shooting up. He surged forward, grabbing her face and angling it from side to side. He zeroed in on her neck, cursing as he went back to his phone. Back and forth his head shook.

“Jesus.”

“Who the fuck is it?”

He took a step back, seconds passing as he watched the footage. “I did not give the okay for this admission. I challenged it, and I had good reason to.”

“ Who the fuck is it? ”

“It’s me.”

My eyes jerked to the door and Margaret screamed, wrestling through the doctor’s hold to fly back into my arms. I knew I was still moving forward with her hanging on. I could even recall Elec and the High Leader grabbing to me as I took in the cocky ass grin from Jett LaRoe.

“Let go of me.”

Margaret was pulled free, only making me drag Elec and Nineteen a few steps before they could stop me.

“You hurt my slave?”

“Let’s be honest, Rivers. I bid on her first. I let you have her. She wants me.”

“N-No. No. He’s lying. I’ve never seen him before.”

“I’m going to fucking kill you, Jett.”

“Seb.” Elec’s head shook but stopped as Melissa appeared in the doorway. If she was concerned over her son’s wellbeing, she didn’t show it.

“I must apologize for Jett. He told me what happened as we headed to dinner. It appears he got carried away during…relations with your slave.”

“He pushed his way in, Melissa. He attacked her.” Elec grabbed tighter to my bicep. “I just watched the video. He broke into this apartment, and he’ll face the board for it.”

“She likes it like that. Don’t you, Maggie .”

The rumble that left me was so deep as I dragged Elec and the High Leader closer to the door.

“Don’t you say her name. Don’t you fucking say either of their names. You think you’re getting away with this because your mommy’s big shit, but let me tell you something kid, I will ride this to the fucking execution stage outside. There’s an axe out there with your name on it. If I can’t have your life, I’ll make sure the one you live outside of these walls are ruined. I don’t give a fuck who you are in the circle. There’s a line you don’t cross, and you fucking sailed right over it. If you think I’m bluffing, turn and ask Mommy just how much trouble you’re in.”

Jett’s face was hard as he glanced up to her. Fear, yes, but also a smugness I was dying to wipe off his face.

“Main Master, we need to take her in. She may be bleeding internally. We won’t know until we do a scan.”

Elec nodded, holding to me tighter as I tried to get to Jett.

“Nineteen, take him to Hell Row. He can wait there as I collect the evidence.”

“Fuck you,” Jett exploded. “You can’t take me there. My Mom’s more important than you are. Just because you run this place doesn’t mean you’re really the one in charge. You’ll see. You really want to put your replacement in Hell Row? Try it and find out what happens.”

A deep laugh came from Elec as he looked between Melissa and Jett.

“My replacement?” More Elec laughed. “Wow. I could almost believe that you actually buy into that. You don’t have the temperament for a Main Master, nor the smarts. The only one you’re replacing is Master Ninety-two. Nineteen, take him to Hell Row. Swap them out.”

The blond-haired High Leader let go of me, nodding as he and two guards headed over, grabbing Jett.

“You can’t fucking do this. I did nothing wrong. She wanted it! She asked me to come. Some leader you are, Main Master . We’ll see how long your reign lasts. When you fall, my Mother will take over. My mother?—”

Whack!

Melissa’s hand connected hard with Jett’s cheek.

“I warned you. You gave me your word . If you’re lying about this?—”

“The board will decide his fate,” Elec cut in. “Get him out of here.”

I jerked from the Main Master as they disappeared, lowering as they strapped Margaret to a gurney.

“You said internal bleeding?”

“We’re not sure.” The medical guard looked between the other two, and then down to her lap. “The damage is on the inside. We won’t know anything until we take a closer look and see for ourselves.”

“In…side?” My eyes lowered to the blood splattered on the floor from the drips, only to move down to the lap of my blood-stained jeans. My fist drew in, leveling with my mouth. I kept in step as they began wheeling her out, stopping as Elec’s arm barred against my chest.

“I’ll have to go through the footage from the last few days to make sure, but how certain are you that your slave is telling the truth? You’ve been gone, and he mentioned the city.”

“I believe Margaret when she says she didn’t know or recognize him.”

“And you’re sure she’s not lying? Why would he choose her?”

My fists drew in even more as the medical guards and Margaret disappeared from the apartment.

“Jett and I got in a bidding war over her. It went up really high. Too high for him, and he knew it. He let me have her.” I let out a sigh. “As far as I knew, I thought he had taken it well. He didn’t seem to care. He was already bidding on the next slave entering. I thought it was fine. He even asked if I’d ever seen a lobotomy, inviting me to watch him do one when I was ready. I took it as some kid trying to connect or look cool. I brushed it off. Now that I think about it, I saw him on the elevator with the blonde slave he’d bought the night before. It was the morning Margaret went to the city. He didn’t say anything to me, but I was yelling at her. Now that I think about it, he appeared…aggravated. Margaret mentioned Ashley’s Boutique. That he’d been waiting for her to come back. He must have somehow thought I wasn’t at the Gardens.”

The Main Master’s hand eased up. “Shit. He knew. Melissa and I were just talking about it earlier. Your name somehow got brought up and one of us mentioned you were in Chicago. Jett was there. He heard. God dammit.” Elec almost seemed to wince as he grabbed to his head. “It’s all a little fuzzy. I’ll look it up to make sure what exactly was said. I have to go. I’ll collect all the evidence, and I’m sure you want to be with your slave.”

We walked to the door together, heading down the hallway. “Let me know the moment there’s any news on Jett. I want his head, Elec. He’ll never be trusted in my eyes again. He’s not right. He’s not one of us. Even as dark as we are, there’s a code to be respected in the circle, and he doesn’t give a shit about it. I want his fucking head whether you find proper evidence or not.”

“Do you know the war that would cause?”

“I don’t care. He should have thought about that before he came into my space and targeted what’s mine.”

The Main Master slowed as we approached the elevator, his expression shifting as he took me in.

“There’s a lot of shit going on right now that I can’t tell you about. And I shouldn’t do this. I fucking shouldn’t but…his head for Hale.”

“What?”

The door opened, but I couldn’t step in like he did. Elec reached out, pulling at my shirt until I made my way inside.

“I can’t even believe I’m saying this, but your brother belongs here. Maybe we were at odds once. Maybe we’ll come to hate each other again. We won’t know unless he becomes one of us. I need him . He’s loyal. He’s protective and trustworthy. Now, of all times, you can see the importance in that. Something is happening, and it’s bigger than you could imagine. I need people I can trust near me, Seb. You see how it is down here. No one can be trusted. Let him become a Master, and I’ll make sure the evidence points to the axe you’re so desperate to swing.