He laughs, the sound genuinely amused. “Maybe. Your peaceful silence is hard to find in this loud world.”
I lift a shoulder and pull on the hoodie. Landon and his twin brother, Brandon, are probably the only two who seek me out because of my silence. Everyone else just wants me to talk—not them.
They’re tolerable, but only separately. They become annoying dicks in each other’s company.
After I’m dressed, we leave my room and start down the hall. Elegant wallpaper extends for as far as the eye can see, giving the place a classical vibe.
We live in an off-campus mansion that Landon also uses as the compound for his club, the Elites.
A club that he has wanted me to be part of since I enrolled in REU, but I’ve refused his invitation every time.
I pledge loyalty to no one. Not even to myself.
We drive away from the mansion, or more like Landon does in his show-off one-of-a-kind McLaren. I spend the whole ride sleeping.
The opening of the door hauls me out of a light sleep. A man dressed in formal wear inclines his head in my direction. “Welcome back, sir.”
I step out and cast a look at my cousin, who’s already stepping onto the cobbled street. An easy expression is written all over his face, but it’s just a camouflage for his twisted insides.
Only a few lights adorn the hidden alley that’s situated in the least populated part of the island.
This is where Landon started to bug the fuck out of me. He somehow ran into me through our mutual fucked-up cravings and hasn’t left me alone since.
Knowing him, he probably hunted me down like the creep he is.
The bouncer of the club lets us in with a smile and a curtsy. We’re probably their youngest members but the most ruthless.
The most in-demand, too.
“What do you have for us?” Landon asks, pure sadism dripping from his voice.
He is a sadist.
I’m just an animal.
A man in a tux smiles with the shrewdness of a pimp. “There are two members who I believe will be to your liking. Room nine.” He hands the key to my cousin, who slips him enough cash to make the man’s beady eyes glow in the darkness.
We walk down the dark red halls, our steps making little to no noise on the carpet.
My blood pumps with the promise of inflicting pain.
Lots of pain.
Enough to drown the pain festering inside me.
Landon opens the door and we slide inside a red-lit room.
Two naked girls kneel on the carpet, collared in black leather, heads bowed, arms bound with black cuffs, a gag hanging around each of their necks, waiting to be shoved in place.
Whips, canes, and chains decorate both sides of the room, shining in the red light, all available for our use.
“Evening, ladies.” Landon goes to the brunette and strokes a thumb under her jaw. “Are you ready for some fun?”
“Yes, please,” she purrs.
Her friend, a leggy blonde who’s at least five years older than me, licks her lips when she looks at me.
She’s beautiful and will be even more exquisite when I engrave my welts in her pale skin.