Carnage by Sarah Bailey

Twenty Five

Drake

There was something about being in the office when everyone else had left for the day. The silence and stillness in the air calmed me, kept me centred. However, having Scarlett at my desk, her fingers working across the keyboard as I stood staring out at the darkening skyline dictating this fucking speech I had to give next week was certainly testing my ability to keep myself under control. I prided myself on self-restraint. Right now, I was itching all over with urges I’d always kept hidden from the outside world.

Tonight was the night. And it was all I could do to keep talking.

“Actually, could you scratch that last line,” I told her, rubbing my chin. “I need something more… punchy.”

“Yes,” she murmured.

In the relative quiet of the room other than her fingers tapping on the keyboard, I heard it loud and clear.

I turned away from the window and looked at Scarlett. Her light brown hair was half falling out of the messy bun she’d put it in. A lock of it had fallen on her shoulder. I wanted to brush it away. To fix her hair for her. A stupid urge. I shouldn’t give a shit about her comfort, but Francis’ words from a few days ago kept ringing in my ears.

“You all seem so willing to forget she was our friend, our best fucking friend. She meant something to us.”

Caring about someone you knew had been sent here to ruin you was a paradox I hated. I could care about Scarlett and want to ruin her at the same. How I wanted to tear her open and destroy every little piece of her soul. The others gave me shit for my fascination with the human mind. My addiction to ripping apart a person’s reality so it would feel as though they were dying on the inside. It made me feel so fucking free knowing I had that much power over another person.

Now was not the time to be getting wrapped up in those thoughts. I had to play my part in this evening’s festivities.

“We should eat something.”

Scarlett’s head whipped up and she blinked.

“We?”

I looked at my watch. It was time to get this show on the road.

“Yes, it’s after seven.”

“I hadn’t noticed the time.”

We’d been working on this speech for the past hour. I hated doing them, but in business, they were necessary. We had to maintain our professional image. Couldn’t go showing the world just how fucked up we all were. They might decide to take their business elsewhere and we couldn’t have that. They’d certainly regret doing so if they did decide to fuck us over.

I moved towards the door, expecting her to follow me.

“Where… where are you going?”

Pausing in the doorway, I turned my head back.

“Upstairs.”

“Should I wait here then?”

I reached up, running my fingers across my bottom lip. Her eyes tracked their path.

“No, Scarlett, you’re going to come with me.”

Would she say no? It wasn’t as if I ever invited employees up to our penthouse. Scarlett wasn’t just an employee. She belonged to us. And tonight she’d be taught a lesson in just how integral she was to her former best friends. Only we weren’t really friends any longer. More like the men who would fuck her up in ways she couldn’t begin to comprehend.

“Bring my tablet, we can continue working on it upstairs,” I said when she didn’t respond.

I walked out of the room, leaving no room for disagreement. A minute later, I heard her footsteps behind me. And her body heat when she caught up with me.

“I don’t… I don’t know if this is… I don’t know if I should come upstairs with you.”

“Why? Do you think I’m planning something nefarious?”

“Well, no. I don’t think that.”

Her eyes betrayed her. She was wary about why I wanted her to come upstairs. Well, she should be. In fact, if she had any sense, she would have run.

“I like to take care of my employees, Scarlett. That’s all this is.” The lie rolled off my tongue with ease.

We reached the lobby. I went over to the lifts, hitting the button and stepping back. I glanced at her. She had a tentative expression on her face. Her hands clutched the tablet to her chest as if it was the only thing shielding her from me. I smiled, knowing nothing would save her. Nothing at all.

When it arrived, I stepped in with Scarlett following behind me. After punching in the code for the penthouse, we didn’t let just anyone up there, I placed my hands behind my back.

“Will the others be around?” she asked when the doors shut and the lift began to move.

“Most likely.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t worry, they won’t mind you joining us.”

I watched her swallow, her fingers tightening around the tablet. The lift didn’t take long and the doors slid open a minute later after it stopped revealing our open plan living space. I strolled out, digging my hands in my pockets. I spied Francis setting out the takeaway boxes on the kitchen island. He’d changed into a more casual outfit of a t-shirt and chinos.

“We have an extra mouth to feed this evening,” I said, waving at the lift doors behind me without looking to see if she’d followed me out.

Francis looked up, his grey eyes glinting.

“Hello, Scarlett. There’s plenty, please come in and take a seat.”

I pointed at the table, unbuttoning my suit jacket and sliding it off my shoulders before slinging it over the back of one of the dining chairs.

“Where’s Pres and West?”

Francis shrugged as he reached up to get another plate out of the cupboard.

“Off doing whatever the fuck they want.”

I snorted, opening the fridge and grabbing a few beers out of it. As I set them on the counter, I looked over to the lift. Scarlett stood just outside the door, her eyes darting around the room with the tablet still clutched to her chest.

“This is where you all live?” she asked, her voice full of wonder.

My eyes roamed around our space. The wall in front of me had floor to ceiling windows with a view of the city. We had three dark grey sofas with teal cushions, a large flatscreen TV and a huge mahogany dining table. Our kitchen was black with chrome finishing. Francis and Prescott had decided on all this shit. West didn’t give two fucks about what the place looked like, only his personal space upstairs.

“Yes,” Francis said. “We don’t let just anyone up here either. You must’ve got in Drake’s good books if you snagged an invite.”

She let out a nervous laugh but didn’t move from her spot by the lift. I didn’t bother saying anything, merely popped the bottle caps with the opener and picked up two of the bottles. I approached her. She watched me, nibbling on her bottom lip in the most fucking distracting way. When I came to a standstill in front of her, I offered her the second bottle in my hand. She released her tight hold on the tablet, taking it from my hand. Her eyes tracked my movements as I brought my own up to my mouth and took a swig.

“Sit down, Scarlett.”

It wasn’t a request but a command. She fidgeted before doing as I told her. I stepped back, watching her walk over to the dining table, set the tablet down on it before taking a seat. She fiddled with the beer bottle.

“Um, I don’t like beer. Could I have some water please?”

I gave her a nod. Francis was dishing up plates for the three of us. I wandered back over to help him and get a glass for Scarlett.

“All set?” I murmured, my voice low enough not to carry across the room.

“Mmm, Pres texted. He said our little problem is occupied for the rest of the evening.”

“Good.”

The lift doors closed and we heard it descending. Clearly, one of them was back.

I poured Scarlett some water before I carried mine and Francis’ plates over to the table, leaving him to bring Scarlett’s. Setting them down, I went back over to snag her drink. Placing the glass next to her hand, I took a seat and watched Scarlett stare down at it. I grabbed the beer bottle and set it next to Francis’ plate. He’d be happy to drink it instead of her.

“Do you live alone?” I asked.

“No. I, uh, live with a friend of my family.”

I glanced over at Francis who set Scarlett’s plate down in front of her along with a knife and fork. His eyes were dark. We both knew who she was referring to. A slight thorn in our sides when it came to Scarlett, but we had our ways of dealing with men like him.

Francis came around the table and sat down next to me, handing me the cutlery he’d brought over. He started in on his meal straight away. I watched Scarlett pick up her fork and stare down at the food we’d ordered.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Thai. You not had that before?” I replied as Francis had his mouthful.

“No… but guess I’m all about new experiences these days.”

She let out another nervous laugh. She was in for one hell of a new experience this evening. I watched her pick up a forkful of curry and rice before sliding it between her lips. She chewed, swallowed then smiled.

“It’s good.”

Francis gave her a wink. I sat back and started eating myself, relieved she liked it, otherwise we might have run into a problem.

Francis made small talk with her whilst I watched Scarlett’s every move. The lift doors slid open a few minutes after we’d started, revealing West, who strolled in without even looking our way.

“Food’s on the counter,” I said, my eyes still fixed on Scarlett.

West grunted in response. I didn’t look around to see where he was going. I didn’t need to. Scarlett’s eyes tracked him into the kitchen. Her skin flushed, betraying her feelings towards our friend. He had fucked her a few days ago. She was probably remembering it. I held back a smile. The girl couldn’t hide her interest in West’s movements and he was probably completely ignoring her. That was one way to lure a woman in. Act like you didn’t give a shit about her after you’d rocked her world.

He came over to the table a few minutes later and sat right next to Scarlett. Something I don’t think she was expecting, especially not when he slung his arm over the back of her chair. He leant closer to her, but his eyes were on me and Francis.

“Hello, Scarlett,” he murmured. “Did you beg one of them to give you an invitation up here so you could see me?”

She choked on her mouthful. West merely smirked and moved his hand to her shoulder, stroking his fingers along it. She swallowed hard and then picked up her glass, taking a long gulp before setting it down. She turned to West, her hazel-green eyes betraying her ire.

“Excuse me?” she hissed.

With his other hand, he reached up and tucked one of the tendrils of hair framing her face behind her ear.

“Mmm, I think you did.”

Her hand snapped up and curled around his wrist. She shoved it back into his chest before releasing him.

“Don’t touch me.”

“You were very willing to let me on Tuesday… in fact, you begged.”

Her eyes widened and her face went a deep shade of red. She didn’t respond to him, merely turned back to her plate and avoided everyone’s gaze.

I eyed Francis. His eyebrow was raised and I could see him holding back a smile. The whole thing amused me too, watching West give Scarlett a hard time. He’d unsettled her, as if she wasn’t already nervous about being up here with us.

West shifted back and started on his own plate, but not before he grinned at me and Francis.

The rest of the meal passed in relative silence. I continued to watch Scarlett. Her eyes had started to droop and her movements became laboured. Her head kept snapping back up every so often as if she was trying to stay awake.

Abruptly, she stood up and looked at me.

“Should we… should we work on… on…”

Her words became slurred. I rose from my seat as she swayed on her feet. I made my way around the table, catching her right when her knees gave out. She stared up at me, realisation dawning on her features. I smiled at her.

“It’s okay, Scarlett, close your eyes. You’re safe here.”

She didn’t have a choice. The sedative Francis laced her food with had set in. For a moment, she struggled to stay conscious. Her mouth opened, but she said nothing. I held her against my chest, waiting until she closed her eyes and went completely limp. I picked her up and carried her over to the sofas, laying her down on one of them. Straightening, I stared down at her beautiful features.

“She’ll be out for an hour, right?” I asked.

“Yes, I gave her the right dose,” Francis replied.

“Good.”

I turned in time to see the lift doors slide open. Prescott walked in without a care in the world.

“I see you started without me.” He nodded at Scarlett as he walked by into the kitchen.

“Did you handle Mason?” I asked.

“Of course, I texted Francis to let him know. He’ll be occupied for the rest of the evening.” Prescott winked. “If you know what I mean.”

We’d sent Prescott to make sure Scarlett’s little bodyguard wouldn’t be an issue. West had secured Zayn Villetti’s details from Gary, his drug dealer and we’d paid Zayn a handsome sum to use one of his girls. She’d be keeping Mason Jones very busy this evening. West hadn’t particularly wanted to get on one of the mafia kingpin son’s radars but we needed a way of keeping Mason away from their flat that didn’t tie back to us. We had to tread carefully when it came to Mason because of who he was.

“Good. We’ve got less than an hour until she wakes up. Let’s get our shit together.”

I stared down at Scarlett again. She looked so peaceful. Pity we would be disturbing that peace. She wouldn’t know her own name by the time we were done with the girl. And I was so ready to start the fun.