Beautiful Lies (Breaking Belles #2) - Alta Hensley Page 0,52

fury, a useless noise with my ruined vocal chords.

And pounded more against the wood, uselessly.

And that’s when the dark space suddenly flooded with light.

Light.

And I saw the scratch marks and at least one woman’s fingernail left embedded in the wood, inches above my face.

I wasn’t the first woman they’d buried alive.

Oh Jesus, oh Jesus, they were fucking crazy.

There weren’t any lines they wouldn’t cross.

They hated us.

They wanted to torture us.

They liked it.

How many women had they buried?

Tears squeezed out of my eyes as I lost my shit and screamed and pounded and scratched in the same place how many other women had scratched?

And that was when the dirt started spilling between the boards.

I had no voice left beyond a useless, terrified squeak as they began to actually bury me alive, dirt filling my mouth as I screamed and spit and lost my ever-loving shit.

18

Sully

Billiards, bourbon, and blowjobs.

That’s what I remembered about the room we were all walking to after they took Portia away. The billiards room was for members only, but as boys, we often snuck in the secret passageways hidden in the walls of the Oleander and spied on the men.

Oh, how I couldn’t wait to be given the keys to that kingdom back then.

We used to fantasize what it would be like to someday be a member of The Order of the Silver Ghost. It was a given that we would have our opportunity when we came of age, but the day couldn’t come soon enough as we watched these powerful men sit with their cigars, their wealth, and their absolute power.

I had desperately wanted to be one of them…

But not anymore.

The Order of the Silver Ghost was tainted. Poison. Absolute filth.

And as I walked buck naked down the hallway, I was proud of the fact that I would never allow myself to become one of them.

Never.

Yes, maybe I had to do the evil dance of the monkey for my sister’s sake, but my soul would never be compromised by these men. Never.

“Sully!” Mrs. H called from the end of the hallway carrying a bundle of clothes and my shoes that were given for me to wear to the event. “Put that pecker of yours away and get dressed immediately.”

Her face was bright red with embarrassment and maybe even shame as she rushed toward me and shoved the clothes into my arms. I tried not to smirk at her discomfort, but it was hard not to. Especially when I glanced over at Montgomery who was clearly holding back full-on laughter. My buddy found the humor in this situation just as much as I did.

I opened my mouth to ask where Portia’s clothes were, and if she was expected to be naked, then so would I. Mrs. H put her hand up to stop me.

“Not another word out of you, young man!” Her tone was sharp enough to cut, and I obediently shut my trap. “Your mother would have a stroke if she knew I allowed you to stand here in the Oleander stark naked. Get dressed. This instant.”

The rest of the members entered the billiards room—some chuckling, some scowling—as I put on my pants. I wasn’t going to fight this spitfire of a woman, and I had already given the members of the Order the shock I had intended, so there was no need to go to war with the woman in the hallway who wouldn’t hesitate to box my ears regardless of what age I was.

“Better listen to the woman,” Montgomery said as he joined the others in the room.

“I swear, Sully. Sometimes…” she said as she spun on her heels and left me to finish getting dressed.

I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face as I joined the Order.

One point: Sully VanDoren.

As I poured myself a glass of bourbon and took a burgundy velvet chair near the roaring fire, I said, “Well, gentlemen, what madness do you have in store for me tonight?”

I hated to admit it, but I did feel more comfortable now that I was fully dressed in my tux. I felt like I had a little bit more power as I crossed my ankle on my knee, casually leaned back in the chair and sipped the liquor as I waited to see what was next.

A blowjob maybe? Although oddly the thought of having some Order hooker sucking me off made my stomach sink. It seemed like I would be… cheating? Portia and I were not an official monogamous item… far from it. And