DEMI
"They did what?"
"The quads interrogated me about that night you lumbered into the club dead drunk, allegedly." Anna let out a low whistle on her end of the line. "I was literally terrified, Demi. They were trying too hard to make it seem like they weren't overly pissed or suspicious of us but I could feel the anger simmering beneath their tone. I think they're onto you."
Absently, I run a finger over my temple to dull a throbbing ache. Again, I expected this but not so fast. Maybe Mr. S is right and I should get on with our plan. At this pace, these brothers might find a reason to have me kicked out before I can pay them back for the part they played in my parents' deaths.
"What about your job? Any problem with Donna?"
"I'm not sure right now. She suspects me and gives me the eye every now and then. However, I don't think she plans to let me go anytime soon."
"What makes you think that?"
"Well, the club's been seeing a horde of new customers, mostly women from high society ever since your marriage happened. Apparently, they all frequent this place in hopes of running into and possibly stealing the heart of one of the quads. Business is literally booming. Plus, these women have been fawning over me ever since they heard I am besties with the daughter-in-law of the Rollins family." A low chuckle follows. "I don't know what they hope to gain from being all friendly towards me. Heck, if I knew how to turn them into billionaire heiresses, I'd probably snag that opportunity for myself, don't you think? Anyway, they always ask of me every night when they come partying and buy whatever I point at. Donna can't afford to lose her new, rich clientele by dropping me."
"I hope you're right. I'd hate for you to suffer any consequences right now, especially since I am not yet financially poised to help you."
"Don't bite your nails over it. Donna tells me that one of the quads passively mentioned I be allowed to keep my job when she hinted at my dismissal to please them." I don't know why but I'm pretty sure Anna is blushing at this point. Her low laughter is sensual and weird.
"Do you know which one?"
"I'm not sure but he gave off boss vibes. Did most of the talking while they interrogated me."
It sounds like Asher but I am not too certain. If anyone wanted to punish Anna for her role in my marriage mess, it had to be Asher. Compassion doesn't sound like him. He wouldn't let Anna keep her job unless he had ulterior motives for doing so. Then again, why would Ashely, Ashton or Ashal let Anna keep her job after she covered for me? If they're all plotting to kick me out, giving Anna the boot will definitely send a stronger message than pardoning her.
"I thought I knew them a bit after serving them for years now but tonight, they were all riled for some reason." Anna continues solemnly. "It was hard to pick up the miniscule signs that point to one brother or the other. They didn't even flirt around. They turned away the strippers Donna arranged for them and mostly had tequila. Their eyes, when I managed to glance up, were hooded and brooding. One of them arrived late in a different outfit from the others. I guess he didn't get the memo on time." Anna giggles. "I don't care which quad it was that spared me. I'm just glad I still have my job."
I take a short breath. "I'm glad you weren't hurt or fired. I could never forgive myself." Her family would suffer. How could I have been so selfish, waltzing around the Rollins mansion thinking I have months to execute my plans when my best friend is a helpless, easy target for these brothers? The mere thought of them bullying her grates on my nerves and makes me grind my teeth.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that."
"Hey, it's okay. I know what I signed up for." Anna exhales. "Besides, you can't do this all alone. I'll handle my business and cling to my job however I can. You get on with your own plans and handle those men the way you see fit."
Her resilience surprises and amuses me. "Okay. Talk to you soon. Bye."
Turning, I yelp in shock at the sight of Ashely lounging by my bedroom door. I didn't hear anyone come in.
"Jesus, Ashely. This really has to stop." I yell angrily, clutching my chest as my heart thumps wildly. "You can't come into my room whenever you want. That's not how this marriage works."
"Is that right?"
With hands in his pocket, he glides to me. "And how exactly does this marriage work?"
My breath steadier, I look up at him. The outfit definitely has the 'extra' touch. Every damn thing is the same; hair, voice, build, except the eyes. There's something about the eyes that sends chills down my spine the way Ashely's have never done, even with his dirtiest talk. This look isn't sexually arousing or casually curious; it's more. It's…
"You're not Ashely." I breathe firmly.
He smiles darkly. "What? Two weeks in here and you think you know us now? Is that what you're here to do, to learn to tell us apart? For what? Why exactly are you sticking around, Demi Branson?"
"I am not doing this." I take two steps to go around him hoping to go to the bathroom when his big arms grab my elbow, spins me and slams my back against his chest.
"What do the hell are you doing? Let go of me!" My voice is a little shaky, a lot pitiful and I hate myself right now. He smells of Ashely's cologne. God. How far do these brothers go to imitate each other? His arms trap mine till I am merely writhing against him.
"Oh, you're so much better than the strippers. Did Anna mention that bit?"
My blood chills as he presses me even tighter against his rigid cock and closes a palm possessively over my breasts. Fury and disgust fill me to bursting. "YOU BASTARD, LET ME GO!" I crane my neck towards the door. "MOTHER!!! ASHELY!!! HELP…mmm" Now his hand is clamped over my mouth, muffling my screams. His hot breath fans my ears as my eyes grow misty.
"I don't know what games you think you're playing, Demi Branson but I can make you one promise; my brothers and I won't stand for it. If you're here simply because my mom asked you to and plan to leave quietly after a year, you're welcome to stay. However, if you have some sinister plans up your sleeve," He chuckles darkly, his voice deep and spine-chilling. "…then you've unfortunately joined the wrong home. The smart option is to run. Run, baby, run or else, you'll make the headlines for tragic reasons."
His grip loosens and as I attempt to wheedle out of his clutch, he turns me over, hauls me up and shoves me on the bed. The scream is trapped in my throat as he edges close, his eyes mischievous and wicked. I crawl away.
"Get away from me." The tears are pouring now. I glance at the flower vase by the side of the bed. I won't reach it in time if he plans to rape me.
"DON'T. YOU. DARE. TAKE. ANOTHER. STEP, YOU MONSTER!"
Something flashes in his eyes briefly and then the darkness returns.
"If protecting my family makes me a monster, then I guess I am one." His eyes rake my naked thighs. Instinctively, I grab the blanket and cover myself. He scoffs. "You can't stop me if I want to have my way with you. What are you going to do, scream? I'll just tell everyone I am Ashely, your husband. My parents won't know the difference and my brothers will definitely not rat me out." He lets out a short laugh at the dread seeping into my cheeks.
"I'll get away with it because everyone in Danvarr knows you're married to Ashely. How could your husband possibly rape you?"
"We have a contract…"
"…a secret contract that's known by a handful of people, most of them being MY family." He finishes. "As far as the world knows, we're fucking, just like normal couples. If I decide to breach our little contract, my family will never turn on me to take your side, not even my mom. And your aunt, she'll be singing a different tune once we pad her account. You know it's true. DO YOU NOW SEE HOW FUCKED UP THIS IS? You're not as safe and untouchable as you think. We can destroy you if we want to."
His low, deep laugh makes my skin tingle. Flashes of the text message from the unknown number come to my mind, especially the end bit, […Welcome to hell, sis] I shake my head from side to side.
"Destroy me, like you've destroyed so many others before? Ruining lives seems to be a sport for the Rollins quads, not so?"
"In our defense, we only ruin the lives of people who come after us first." He smirks, turns and heads for the door. "Fair warning Branson, you come for us, we'll be your ruin." The door clicks shut as he exits. I didn't realize I had been holding my breath. I gulp in lots of air and slide to the foot of my bed, crying. What in the world was that? Which brother just did that to me? My heart is pounding as the sobs quiver through my system. When I try to stand, my shaky legs make me keel over in fatigue. So, I curl up in a fetal position and bawl my eyes out some more.
His last sentence plays in a loop in my head, "Fair warning Branson, you come for us, we'll be your ruin." That mode of address sounds oddly familiar. My eyes flash as I recall the one brother who has brazenly stepped into my room without deigning to knock, the one brother who always makes my spine chill with the suspicious glint in his eyes, the one brother who's the most difficult to read; ASHTON ROLLINS.
My head burns with rage as I rise from the floor. That bastard and his brothers dare to do this to me? They dare take shots at me when I have been nothing but accommodating? I wipe my eyes with a thin smile. I might be scared but I am not spineless. If I wasn't courageous, I wouldn't have made it into the home of the people who killed my parents and turned my life into a living hell. Courage like they say isn't the absence of fear but the ability to carry on regardless of fear.
Maybe this is just the push I need to get my wheels turning and set my plan in motion to bring the almighty and invincible Rollins family to their knees.
I head to the door and lock it. Then I make a beeline for the bathroom, flick on the shower and while it runs, I make a call. He answers after the first ring.
"This is surprising. The flake knows how to put a call across." I let the sting of his words steam. I deserve it.
"We're on."
"No shit. Funny, because I thought we were on the minute you moved into that damn fortress. I guess the honeymoon is more important that avenging mom and dad's death."
"STOP." I can't hear it. The rape scare I just had won't let me digest his sarcasm right now. "Are you done bitching or do you have more to get off your chest?" I hear him exhale deeply. "I thought as much."
"What happened? You're all fired up. I can hear the frustration and anger in your voice."
I am not used to him paying attention to the little, sensitive things about me and while I would normally appreciate this rarity, my head is so messed up right now courtesy of Ashton Rollins that I would rather chew granite than accept kindness from a man. Aren't they all the same in the end?
My phone buzzes with a message from an unknown number. I really don't have time for this right now. "One second, I'll call you back."
What now? Why can't I deal with one trauma at a time? But as I click play on the video, I go numb watching my best friend kissing one of the quads. My eyes narrow to slits. What the fuck, Anna? I strap down on a clawing need to chuck my phone against the wall. I don't give a flying fig about any woman being dumb enough to fall for any of those jerks but not Anna. She's too smart for that or at least I think she is. Is this what she meant by handling her own business? Why didn't she tell me about this part of her evening? And how the hell did my blackmailer get his/her hand on a video Anna is probably unaware exists? Could my blackmailer be the brother kissing Anna?
My head is spinning with a myriad of thoughts right now. Why was I sent this video? It doesn't make any sense. How exactly does my blackmailer expect to exploit and extort me by bringing Anna to the mix? If anything, they would make more blackmailing the quads with this clip.
Unless the blackmailer is indeed the quads. As logical as it sounds, I can't ignore my gut feeling that tells me I am probably dealing with more than one blackmailer here. If indeed I am not the first daughter-in-law of the quads, then there's a secret wife somewhere with the initials, O.D. The Rollins must have a reason for hiding such a thing. I don't see how the quads could blackmail me with a sensitive secret of theirs.
I quit theorizing to call Anna.
"Hey"
"Someone just sent me a video of you kissing one of the quads." I reel out and wait for her to freak.
"W-What?" Her voice is shaky. It's as I feared. She wasn't aware she was being filmed.
"Those jerks filmed you, Anna and sent me the damn clip." I stifle a cuss at the tip of my tongue. "Why didn't you tell me about that? Why did you even do that? You have no idea how dangerous these men are." Tears shimmer in my eyes when I look at the bathroom mirror. "One of them just tried to rape me, Anna."
"What? Demi, are you okay?" Anna's voice falters with fear.
I sniffle, calming myself. "I'm fine. I'll be fine. Listen Anna, I don't know why I was sent this clip but I think I know what I want to do with it. You may not like it but I need you to be onboard with me, okay?"
"Okay,"
I'm scared for her now. She might lose her job because of this but I have no other choice.
"Here's the plan…"
***
Someone knocks on my door and tries to pry it open severally.
"Demi? Are you in there?"
Steadying myself, I hurry out of the bathroom, unlock the door. This Ash Rollins seems baffled. My heart rate picks up a bit seeing this face again.
"Why was the door locked? The voice. The sultry eyes. The clothes. It's all Ashely. I exhale as he follows me in. I work the tension in my jaw to communicate surprise.
"I'm sorry. I was in the bathroom." I follow through by wiping my hands with a little towel. My eyes study his own. You know, don't you? You know what your brother just did. You four talk about everything. Apologize Ashely and prove to me you're human after all. I really hope you are.
"Where'd you go?"
He sighs. "Blue Cove. We went for drinks."
"And?"
His eyes light up with surprise at my curiosity. "Does the wife really want to know?" Huffing, he shrugs. "Suit yourself. We had drinks, a few lap dances…shit, Anna must have called you. Look Demi, I'm sorry we interrogated her okay but you can't blame us for seeking answers. You'd do the same if your life got upended from one drunken night at a club."
"Upended?"
"I'm sorry. Wrong word. My apologies." When he reaches to pat my shoulder, I flinch instinctively. Ashely's eyes quirk up in surprise. "Ah, you okay?"
I clear my throat. "I'm fine. Why are you here though?" I swallow hard.
"Dinner. I was thinking we could…everyone's down there already. Mom's asking for you." His eyes keep watching me. "Are you sure you're good? You're shaking." I take a step back as he draws close. "Okay, what the fuck is going on, Demi? I know we're not a real couple but I don't bite. Don't treat me like a fucking plague." His eyes are suddenly pained.
"I'm sorry. Tell mom I'll be down in a sec." He nods and leaves. After I get changed into something better, I head down for dinner. I keep my head high and chatter away animatedly with mom while the men eat in silence. I pay no mind to the quads or allow myself to recall what transpired earlier in my room. I refuse to give Ashton the satisfaction of seeing me browbeaten over the stunt he pulled. Thanks to it, vengeful Demi is back in the driving seat.
I smile brightly as I recall the plan I have set in motion. By tomorrow, the quads will be forced to reveal their distinguishing traits to me and the whole of Danvarr!