I place my hand on his chest, and he takes it off and instead places it in his. “But what has this all got to do with Isaac?”
Drake closes his eyes. “My obsession with you became his.”
“But why?”
“Because one of the girls I fucked was his sister.” Gasping, I step back. “See?” he asks, with a snarl. “That’s the kind of man I forced you into being with. That’s the kind of selfish man who made you be with me because you were like a cure to my addiction. I tried to make you like one of them, but you wouldn’t listen to me, would you? You wouldn’t just do as you were fucking told. Isaac knew he couldn’t kill me, but he made me pay the price. He killed my best friend in retaliation. But I always knew it wouldn’t satisfy him. I always knew he would be waiting for an opportunity.” He then looks at me. “He must have been fucking ecstatic when I met you. You were my one saving grace, but because of my selfishness, I made you a target. I tried to stop being that monster. In fact, for years, I managed to not even look at a woman again. But you … you wouldn’t listen. You kept pushing and pushing until I snapped.”
The tears start running down my face, and I can’t seem to stop them. Surely this isn’t real? I can’t form words. I can’t even form thoughts. They’re scrambled all over the place in one giant fucked up mess. I want to go to him, but the part that tells me of his past is what holds me back.
“See, how can you love a monster like me?” I stand there—my mouth agape. What can I say? How do I form words to answer such a question? In the end, I don’t have to because he motions me forward. “Come. I want to show you something.” He walks towards a red silk gown over one of the wardrobe doors and puts it over my shoulders before taking my hand. Silently, we walk out of the room and down the stairs towards his basement. For a moment, I pull back, but Drake tugs me forward. “It’s not what you think.”
Trusting him, I nod my head, and we make our way down the stairs and into the room I spent a few days tied up in. But instead of me, or any other girl tied to the contraption, it’s Joe.
I gasp when I see him. He’s tied up just like I was, but instead, he’s fully clothed. It looks as though he’s been used as a punching bag because his face is swollen all over with bruises, and he has several cuts on his face. He seems unconscious as his head lulls forward, and I watch as a drop of blood falls from his swollen lips.
Rooted to my spot, Drake walks up to him and pulls a gun out from his back. He points it at his temple and pushes his head. “Wake up, fucker.”
He groans, but moves his head up. He spots me straight away and smiles. “Have you come to finish off the job I started, little one? We were so rudely interrupted.”
My eyes widen, wondering what he means when Drake lashes out, smashing the gun over his face. Joe screams before spitting some blood out. “Ouch! That really fucking hurt.”
Drake grabs the back of his head and pulls him up to look at me. “Say sorry for what you did. Say it!” He tugs at his hair.
Joe smiles again, showing me two missing teeth. “I ain’t sorry. I’d do it all over again if I could.”
Drake hits him again, making me wince. I look away. I don’t know why I did, considering everything Joe has done to me. I should want him to get the beating of his life. I should want him dead. But looking at him now—strapped up and beaten—is eating away at my insides.
“Evelyn, look at me.”
Slowly, I turn my head towards Drake. He’s standing there with the gun to Joe’s head. His eyes are blazing, and his breathing is heavy. This is the Drake I fear. This is the Drake who haunts me. But a part of me thinks he knows this. A part of me thinks this is exactly his plan. He wants me to see the monster in him. He wants me to fear it.
“What did he do?” Drake demands.
With my nerves shot, I lick my lips. Joe notices and smirks at me. “If you don’t want to tell him, I will.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Drake growls.
“Why are you doing this?” I ask Joe. “Why aren’t you scared?”
Joe starts laughing. “You are as innocent as you look, aren’t you? One way or the other, I’m a dead man. I may as well go out in a blaze of glory.” He winks at me before turning to Drake. “I gave her a tit fuck, rubbed my cum all over her chest, and later, I made her cum using Laney—one of my girls. I fucked her from behind and watched it all. I watched as she came. “Beautiful fucking sight. You must come a bucketful every time she does.” I look away, feeling embarrassed. I don’t want Drake to look me in the eyes and see the truth.