Madness: A Dark Revenge Romance

She’s passed out and tucked into my side. I have one arm under her neck while the other sits on my bare chest. I stare up at the ceiling as the sun slowly rises, illuminating her bedroom. Charlotte finally fell asleep about an hour ago.

I should have let her sleep sooner, but I couldn’t stop. I needed her. And like the good girl she is, she allowed me to take whatever I wanted. It’ll never be enough, but all good things must come to an end. And my time is up.

Removing my arm out from underneath her, I slide out of bed and look over her. She didn’t move. The poor thing is exhausted. I want her to remember me. The me who loved her. Not the me who blackmailed and treated her like shit. Not the me who is about to leave her as if she never meant anything to me.

The alarm on my phone begins to buzz, and I pick it up off the nightstand, turning it off. It was set just in case I managed to fall asleep. I didn’t. I’ll have plenty of time to do that for the rest of my life. However long that may be.

By the clock on my phone, I have an hour to get to where I need to be. I bend down, reaching up underneath the bed, grabbing what I need and unzip my bag. I remove the contents and begin to attach them to each corner post of the headboard.

Then I sit down on the bed next to her. Gently, I brush her dark hair from her face before pushing her onto her back. She lets out a soft moan, and I can only pray that she’s dreaming of me.

First, I grab the pillows and toss them to the floor. I need everything out of my way for what I have planned. Grabbing her right arm, I pull it to the corner post of the bed, and I begin with a single column tie around her tiny wrist before I secure it with a Burlington bowline. She can pull on it all she wants, and it won’t collapse. Then I walk around the bed and do the same with her left arm.

“Haidyn,” she whispers, arching her neck, but her eyes remain shut. She gently pulls on her outstretched arms that are secured to each corner post of the headboard.

“You’re going to be fine, doll face,” I tell her, moving to the end of the bed. I grab her ankles, straightening her legs, stretching her arms a little farther. I need it to be as tight as possible. Otherwise, she’s going to hurt herself.

Crossing her ankles, I secure the third piece of rope around them, tying her legs closed. Then I crouch down and secure it to the bottom of the bed.

“Wh-at?” Her heavy eyes open, and she tries to move her arms but realizes she’s tied down. A soft smile appears on her face. “Haidyn, I can’t…I’m too tired.”

She thinks I’m going to fuck her again. If only I was that lucky. Walking back over to the side of the bed, I sit down next to her and cup her face. Her pretty blue eyes blink as the sun shines through the windows.

“Close your eyes, doll face. Go back to sleep.” Just then, my cell vibrates once more, and I realize I pushed snooze on the alarm instead of turning it off.

“Haidyn?” She tries to sit up, sounding more awake now. She knows our time is up. I should have left before she woke, but I’m selfish and needed more time with her. “What are you…? Untie me, Haidyn,” she demands.

“I’m sorry, doll face. But that’s not going to happen.” I get up off the bed.

“HAIDYN!” Her voice rises, and she yanks on the rope. I can see the panic in her big eyes. “Untie me, Haidyn. Right now.”

“Charlotte—”

“Please, Haidyn…don’t do this.”

When I say nothing, she arches her back and screams at the top of her lungs. She’s yanking so hard on the rope that the bed shakes.

“Calm down, Charlotte.” I cup her tear-streaked face. “Shh, you’re okay.” She tries to shake her head, but I hold it in place. “You’re going to be okay.”

“Nnnnoooo.” She sobs and sniffs, taking a deep breath. “Please…” She licks her lips. “Please untie me.”

“I can’t,” I say softly.

Fresh tears fill her eyes, and her lips tremble. “Please,” she cries desperately, and my chest tightens at leaving her here like this.

“Okay, doll face. Okay,” I say, and she closes her eyes tightly. “Just breathe. Deep breaths.” I need her to calm down.

“Untie me…” She looks up at her wrist while yanking on it.

“Okay. Just calm down. Can you do that for me?”

She nods quickly. “Yeah.” She lets out a long breath and repeats, “Yeah.”

I turn and open her nightstand, removing the two things that I need. “I’m sorry,” I say because I didn’t want to do this. “You’ve left me with no choice.” I rip off three pieces of the duct tape and place the tip of them on the edge.

“HAIDYN!” she screams, arching her back. Tears instantly fill her eyes, and she yanks so hard on the rope that the bed shakes. “You promised!” She begins to cry again. “Please don’t leave me…don’t do this….”

I shove the wadded-up thong into her mouth, and she arches her neck, trying to get her face away from my hold. I slap my hands over her full mouth while my free hand grabs one piece at a time, securing them on her mouth. I use more pieces than I normally would because her face is wet. I’m hoping between all of them, they’ll stick.

Her gagged sobs start to fill the room. Getting up off the bed, I pick up my cell to make a call. Placing it on speakerphone, I set it on the bed next to her and grab my jeans off the floor to remove my pocketknife while it rings for the second time.

“Hello?” a familiar voice answers.

“Hey,” I say in greeting. She screams into her gag, but it’s too muffled that even he can’t hear it.

“What’s up, man? Where the fuck are you? I tried calling you last night…”

“I was at Charlotte’s,” I answer. No reason to lie. He’ll figure it out anyway. “I need a favor,” I say, moving this conversation along. I have somewhere to be. When I came up with this idea, I knew that I couldn’t leave her here like this for very long. I needed someone to come get her and take care of her like I would.

“Name it,” Kashton tells me.

I take the knife and place it on my skin at the back of my neck and press the blade into it, feeling the skin cut and the warm blood run down my back as her screams grow louder. “I need you to come get Charlotte. She’s at her house.”

“And where are you?” Kashton asks.

“I have somewhere to be,” I answer, squeezing the skin until I feel the tracking device pop out. I had it replaced but can’t take the chance of them looking for me. That will put her in jeopardy. I made a deal, and I will honor it.

“Haidyn—”

“Tell Saint I’m sorry.” I interrupt whatever he was about to ask.

“What the fuck is going on, Haidyn?” Saint barks, letting me know that Kashton also has me on speakerphone, and he was listening in.

“Nothing,” I lie as my eyes drop to a sobbing Charlotte while she thrashes on the bed, tears falling out of the corner of her eyes. “I just need you to understand that I’m sorry for what I did.” If anyone took my wife away from me, I’d lose my mind. It took me falling in love with Charlotte to see that I only hurt him. I’m glad that he was able to find his way back to her.

“Haidyn,” Saint snaps.

“Charlotte is at her house. I’ll send you the address.” I end the phone call and send them the information they need. Then I pull up another number and send one last text before I delete it along with the text that has the address I received so no one can read them before placing it on the nightstand right next to hers. I made sure to wipe out all calls and messages last night so they wouldn’t be able to find anything on my phone. I know my brothers, and they will dig through it for any hints. There will be none.

Then I catch sight of my wedding ring. I take it off and turn to the bed. I cup her tear-streaked face and lean over her trembling body. “Just know that it was real for me, and I hope that one day you can forgive me, beautiful.”

She blinks, her nostrils flaring as she breathes deeply through them.

My thumbs rub the tears away, but they’re falling too fast to keep up with them. “In a world where it’s either you or me…I’ll always choose you, doll face.”

Sniffling, she shakes her head, remembering the words she once said to me. I nod. “Yes, it’ll always be you. I love you,” I say, leaning down and giving her forehead a soft kiss, ignoring her sob. “Remember that, Charlotte.”

Then I turn, place my ring next to my cell, and give her my back. I get dressed before walking out of her house, listening to her muffled screams. Jumping onto my motorcycle, I rev the engine and drive to my destination. I received the text last night where I needed to be just as he said I would.

Pulling into the unfamiliar private airport, I shut off my bike and get off when I see the jet on the tarmac. It can only be here for one reason—me.

I make my way up the stairs and board the plane. A woman sits in a white leather seat, one leg crossed over the other.

“Haidyn.” She smiles, getting to her eight-inch heels. “It’s been too long.” Her eyes drop to my combat boots and slowly run up my body before they meet mine. “Boys?” she calls out, and four men appear from a sliding glass door behind her wearing cloaks and masks. “Strip him.”

They step forward, and I reach above my head, grabbing the back of my T-shirt. I lift it over my head and toss it to the side before I undo my belt, unzip my jeans, and shove them down my legs along with my boxers. I know the rules. How could I forget them?

I stand naked in front of her and the four men. She arches a brow, her eyes on my soft cock. She licks her lips. “It’ll be like old times, baby.” She steps into me, reaching out, and her hand lands on my bare chest. Her blue eyes lift to meet mine; she’s no longer wearing her green contacts. “Did you enjoy her?”

I don’t answer. I’d rather give her silence because I know how much she hates that.

She steps back and lets out a frustrated sigh, proving my point. “Take him to the back and put him in the cage.” Her lips pull back into a nasty smirk that I know all too well. “It’s time to go home, Haidyn.”

CHARLOTTE

The ringing is like nails on a chalkboard. Haidyn’s phone continues to go off where he set it on the nightstand.

“Haidyn?” a voice shouts from inside my house.

I lift my head the best I can and scream into the tape, yanking on the ropes that tie me down. I can’t feel my hands anymore. I’ve managed to pull the rope tighter with my fight.

“Haidyn?” My bedroom door is kicked open, the wood splintering before hitting the interior wall and I close my eyes as I see Kashton and Saint enter. “Jesus Christ,” Saint hisses.

“Hang on, Charlotte,” Kashton tells me as they cut me loose.

I don’t even care that I’m naked. Or embarrassed that I’m tied up. All I care about is Haidyn. We’ve lost time. How long ago did he leave? It felt like I’ve been lying here for hours. How far away is he by now? I knew this was going to happen. I should have done something when I had the chance. Now it may be too late.

The tape is ripped from my face and the thong yanked from my mouth. Drool falls from my lips as I’m pulled to a sitting position. Saint’s hands grip my soaked face. “Where the fuck is Haidyn?” he demands. “What happened?”

“I…don’t know,” I rasp through a sob. My voice is already hoarse from screaming into my gag. I feel like I’m going to be sick.

“Fuck!” Kashton shouts.

“What?” Saint looks over at him.

“Haidyn’s tracker.” Kashton holds up the bloody device before throwing it to the floor. Then he picks up his wedding ring. “What…what the fuck is going on?”

“Start from the beginning.” Saint looks at me.

I open my mouth, but I can’t speak. Instead, the bile starts to rise, and I scramble off my bed and fall to all fours on the floor.

“Shit,” Saint hisses over me.

I’m too weak to even stand. After being drugged, the two-day fuck-fest and then Haidyn leaving me tied to a bed for who the hell knows how long, my body is exhausted. A burning sensation intensifies deep in my chest. “I’m…going…”

“Let me help you,” he says, knowing what I’m trying to say, and ushers me into the bathroom. I fall to my knees in front of the toilet, and he pulls my hair back for me while I throw up like I’ve been partying my ass off on a two-day bender instead of losing the love of my life.

Just know that it was real for me, and I hope that one day you can forgive me, beautiful.

Sitting back on my heels, Saint reaches over and flushes it for me. “You okay?”

I nod, wiping the back of my hand across my lips, and he helps me to stand. He remains by my side while I take a sip of water from the sink and rinse my mouth with mouthwash. Then we return to my bedroom where Kashton waits for us.

Saint sits me on the edge of the bed, and my watery eyes look over the ropes that they cut to get me free.

He left me. I never thought that Haidyn would do that.

Saint begins to hand me my clothes, and I take a calming breath, trying to stop the tears. If anyone can help Haidyn, it’s his brothers. I begin to tell them everything I remember and what Haidyn had told me happened that filled in the missing spots.

“Who were the Lords that were in your house?” Saint demands.

“I don’t know. I never saw their faces.”

Saint looks at Kashton, probably trying to decide whether they believe me.

“Obviously, whoever it is has to be connected to her.”

The way Kashton says her, makes my chest tighten. “I tried to get him to stay.” A fresh tear runs down my cheek. I love him. I would have done anything for him except give him up. Except live a life without him. Didn’t I prove that to him when the Lords made me choose between me and him? Haidyn knew that I thought it was real. That I chose him.

“Come on.” Saint grabs my underwear that he had tossed on the bed next to me and crouches down to slide them onto my legs. He pulls me to stand, yanking them up. I fall back down onto the bed and allow him to dress me.

I’m numb and heartbroken. How can Haidyn do this to me? To us? I didn’t even want him in my life, and now he’s left me with a hole in my heart. Completely devastated. How do I function in life without him? I’ve become dependent on him for everything.

“Let’s go,” Kashton growls, already leaving my room.

It doesn’t even matter where they’re taking me. I have better luck seeing Haidyn again if I’m with them than being here alone. I’m the one he walked away from after all. I can’t bring him back, but they can drag him back to me. Then I’ll show him how fucking crazy a woman in love can be because I’ll never let him out of my sight again.

Saint pulls me to stand, then sweeps me up into his arms. I’m shaking, and that bile taste returns, but it’s not as strong this time.

“Are you going to get sick again?” he asks as if he knows.

“I…I don’t know.”

“Just let me know and I’ll pull over,” Saint assures me.

Kashton opens the back door to a black Escalade for Saint, and he places me into the SUV. He then takes the driver’s seat while Kashton gets in the passenger seat.

I try to calm my breathing. If anyone can find the man I love, it’s them. I rub my sore wrists. They’ve already started to bruise.

“What are you doing?” Saint asks Kashton.

“I’m going through his cell. There has to be someone in here who knows something.”

“Adam,” Saint states, giving him a quick look before driving onto the highway. “Look for Adam in his contacts.”

Kashton shakes his head after a second. “There’s no Adam, but hang on…” He quickly scans through them. “There’s a contact under Ghost.”

“Give it a try.” Saint shrugs. “Can’t fucking hurt.”

He places the call on speakerphone and holds it out so they can both hear it ring. It stops on the second ring before a man’s voice fills the SUV. “Hey, man⁠—”

“Adam?” Saint barks.

Silence comes over the line.

“Listen, we don’t have time for this shit.” Saint goes on. “We need help finding Haidyn.”

“What do you mean finding him?” the familiar voice on the phone asks, confirming what I already knew.

“He’s left,” Kashton hisses. “Cut out his tracker and took off. About an hour ago.”

An hour? It feels like so much longer than that. But still, he can get far within an hour. Especially if he took the Spade brother’s private jet. Maybe they can track that if he’s on it.

“Fuck,” Adam shouts.

“We need your help.” Saint growls, already impatient. “We’re on our way to Carnage. How long until you can get there?”

He’s silent for a long second before he speaks again. “I can’t…”

“This is for Haidyn!” Saint snaps. “Come and help us. No questions asked. Once we find him, you leave like last time.” It’s more of a statement rather than a question.

Saint gives Kashton a quick look, who is staring out his passenger side window.

“Kashton?” Adam questions.

“Yeah,” he finally speaks, voice rough. “After we find him, you can leave. Again. No questions asked.”

“I can be there in twenty minutes.” The call ends.

I sink into the back seat, closing my eyes and trying not to lose my mind. He left me. I mean, I shouldn’t be all that surprised, right? I was just hoping that I could change his mind last night. I thought I could will him to want to be with me, to stay with me, but it wasn’t enough. He ended up leaving me after all.

Why marry me if he never intended on being with me? To humiliate me? He told me he loved me. Was that true? Or just another lie.

“Is there anything else you remember?” Saint asks me.

So much about the past two days are a blur that I’m sure there is something… “Gavin,” I say forgetting to tell them about that part.

“What about him?” Kash demands, turning in his seat to glare at me. I get it. I’m the enemy. I took their brother away from them. I’m the reason he left them…again.

“Haidyn told me that he had called him…Gavin brought him adrenaline to bring me back.”

“Call him. Tell him to get his ass to Carnage. Now. Maybe he can fill in the spots that Charlotte can’t remember,” Saint orders Kashton.