Figure Eight (Celtic Knot Book 2) (16 page)

Since The Celtic Knot was closed until after the trial, I hoped it would be easier for me to somehow break in to retrieve the video. I didn’t tell Rownan
how
I was going to get the tape of Asher, only that I knew of a way that I could. I didn’t want to get him involved any more than what he already was. I felt like I could trust him, but I also thought that I could trust Drake too and look how that turned out. I still needed to tread carefully if I was going to ever survive this and get my friends free of that monster and myself.

It was late when I dressed in my dark jeans and black t-shirt. I pulled my hair back into a black baseball cap so that it would hide my blonde hair. Armed with a few small tools, a flashlight and my shaky nerves, I made my way to leave the apartment. I opened the apartment door only to come face to face with Kelly and Knox. I stood there in silence for what seemed like forever just staring at the two of them who were locked in a passionate embrace. The sound of the door opening caught their attention and they both stared at me with a deer in the headlights look. I hung my head in shame, not able to say the words to both of them I most desperately wanted to say.

“I-uh-was just leaving,” I explained still not able to lift my head to look at either of them. Staring at their feet, I saw when they left each other’s embrace.

“Ashley, where are you going? It is nearly midnight,” Kelly asked accusingly. Knox had yet to say a word and the longer I stood in their presence, the more anxious I started to feel, so I lied and told them the only thing that came to mind.

“I’m going to Rownan’s place tonight. He has offered to let me stay with him until I can find a place to live. He has given me a job at his art gallery that works with my class schedule,” I told the pair. It wasn’t all a lie. Rownan had offered for me to stay in a spare room at his place that was near the gallery. He also had offered me a job, which I had accepted three days ago. I was having trouble finding employment seeing as how I have been in the media and everyone in all of fucking Chicago knew who I was and what I had done.

Kelly stepped forward and placed her hands on my shoulders. I fought back the urge to cry. I hated how I had gotten to this point. The one person in the entire world who I absolutely knew without a doubt I could trust wholeheartedly, was one of the very people I was trying to protect so I couldn’t tell her a damn thing.

“Ashley, no. You can’t leave. What the hell has gotten into you? You are not the same person anymore. You are secretive, withdrawn, and you are doing things that you never would have done. I am extremely worried about you. Please...please tell us what is going on. I am begging you, as your best friend, to tell us,” she pleaded with me and I nearly lost it right there in front of them. I took a deep breath that froze in my lungs as I saw something out of my peripheral vision. Drake and Asher both stood around the corner. The icy glare on Asher’s face told me that I needed to choose my next words carefully. The only thing I could think of was to make them angry with me. Then, maybe, they wouldn’t be so inclined to try to understand what I was doing.

“That’s because I have changed, Kelly. I am so tired of being pushed around, told what to do, and shitted on by those around me. It is time I do for myself. Think about number one,” I sneered as I pointed my thumb into my chest for emphasis.

Knox took a tentative step toward me and I retaliated by stepping back. I wanted nothing more than to have the comfort of the man who I had grown to call my friend. He was the most influential person in helping me to break through to Dominic, and getting him to allow himself to open up to the idea of a relationship. A lot of good that did.

He stopped his forward progression when he saw how guarded I was trying to portray.

“Ashley, look at me,” he demanded in a firm tone. Slowly, I lifted my eyes to his and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to hold back the tears that stung my eyes.

“I don’t know what has happened, I don’t know what has influenced this, but I do know that this is not you. I will do everything in my power to help you, but you have to tell me what is going on,” he pled with me just like Kelly had. My eyes flicked behind him to see Drake and Asher still standing in the shadows of the hall. Kelly and Knox were both oblivious to their presence and I needed to keep it that way. I let out a sardonic laugh that sounded so real, I was almost convinced myself.

“Why can’t I get it through your thick skulls?” I said as I looked at both Kelly and Knox, “It is men like you and Dominic who make women feel important with your Dominant, BDSM lifestyles. It was only a matter of time before Dominic pulled my heart out and stomped on it, just like he did every time he walked out on one of those girls he fucked. What makes me any different from them?”

I continued on my fake tirade before they had the opportunity to respond or could see through my lies.

“Kelly, if I were you, I would get out while you still can. What makes you different from any of those girls at the club?” And with that, I pushed my way between the two of them and out of the apartment before I completely lost it from the words that were like acid on my tongue. The lies that I had to tell my friends nearly broke me as much as it did to be away from Dominic.

I quickly scurried down the hall of our apartment building just in case either one of them tried to follow me. Once I made it outside, I took a large inhale, trying to catch my breath that I always seemed to be lacking lately. A wave of dizziness overcame me and I had to put my hand out to brace myself against the brick wall of my apartment building to keep from falling over. Even though it was May, the night air was chilly and I felt goose bumps form on my skin.

I screamed when a hand clamped on my wrist that was on the wall and let out another muffled scream as a hand clamped over my mouth.

“Quiet, Ashley.” Asher snapped. Drake approached us and Asher pulled on my arm to lead me around the corner of my building.

“Good job in there, doll. You even had
me
convinced that you hated them. Bravo on your performance,” he taunted as he clapped his hands together in mock appreciation. The sight of him made me feel sick; like literally sick to my stomach. I held a hand to my stomach, willing it under control so that I didn’t end up getting sick in front of the two bastards. I didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of knowing that they had this effect on me.

“What do you want, Asher?” I bit out in anger as I tried to swallow back the bile I felt rising in my throat.

“Not happy to see us, Ashley? I would have thought that by now we would have grown to be friends,” Asher said sarcastically. Drake snorted next to him and it made my blood boil. I was now more determined than ever to get into The Celtic Knot to get that tape on Asher.

I glared at both of them as Drake handed Asher a large manila folder. He slapped it in the palm of his hand with a satisfied look to his face.

“We have a
job
for you to do,” Asher said as he smiled at me. His perfectly straight neon glowing teeth made me feel nauseous all over again.

“Well just tell me what the fuck it is so I can go,” I said exasperatedly. My patience was wearing thin, yet I didn’t want them to think that something was going on so I needed to try and collect myself. Asher extended the hand that was holding the envelope towards me, forcing me to take it.

“What is this?” I asked.

“That is going to help convict Dominic and Knox,” Asher said. I cocked my head to the side not understanding what the fuck he was talking about.

“Evidence, doll. Evidence that proves that your boys accepted money for sexual favors.”

“But they didn’t, and you know it, Asher,” I growled.

“Exactly, so we had to
create
some evidence that says otherwise,” he replied nodding toward the envelope that was in my now trembling hands.

“You want me to plant evidence?” I asked in a high pitched voice not believing what they wanted me to do.

“You got it, doll, and Drake here is going to help you get into the club,” Asher said nodding his head toward his conspirator in crime. My jaw nearly hit the ground. I couldn’t believe they were asking me to plant evidence; then again, I could believe it. Even though I hated what they were making me do, in the end it would only help Dominic and Knox because Drake could get me into the club without me having to break in.

“Where were you headed to this late at night?” Drake asked me as he stood in front of me with his oversized muscled arms folded across his chest. I couldn’t tell them the truth, but I also didn’t want to piss Asher off either, but lying was the only way to keep them from being suspicious.

“I was on my way to Rownan’s house if it is any of your business.”

I could see Asher’s eyes grow dark even in the darkness of the alley-way. The man was pure evil, like watching a demon in the flesh right in front of me. He walked close to me backing me up against the cold brick of my apartment building. I tried to breathe through my mouth so that I didn’t have to smell the pungency of his horrid cologne. Every time I had to smell it, memories of the night he almost raped me became fresh in my mind. He braced his hands on either side of my head and leaned in close. Too close.

“If I thought you had bad taste in men with Dominic before, I was wrong. Rownan is nothing but a fucking rich douchebag. Remember, Ashley, it doesn’t matter who you are with right now because soon you will belong to me.”

“I will
never
belong to you,” I replied through gritted teeth as I looked directly at him.

“We’ll see about that.” Asher leaned in to try to kiss me and I turned my head at the last minute as he pressed his cold, dry lips to my cheek.

“You defiant little bitch. I cannot wait to teach you how to properly please a man,” he said before pushing against the brick wall and backing away from me.

“Drake, take her to the club, but let her go in alone. We cannot risk someone seeing you if she was to get caught,” Asher directed before turning to walk away.

Drake and I pulled up to The Celtic Knot about twenty minutes after Asher had left us. My attempts to try to talk Drake into stopping the idiot decisions he was making by teaming up with Asher weren’t fruitful. It ended up with Drake yelling at me to shut up and not talk to him for the remainder of the ride to the club.

He parked us a few block away from the club so that his car wouldn’t be noticed in the area. I was lead to the back entrance of the club where Drake swiped a card and entered a series of numbers into a keypad that granted us access inside.

“This file needs to be placed in the back of the green cabinet in Dominic’s office. The key is in the top left hand drawer of Nic’s desk.”

I nodded my head and entered the ghostly vacant space of The Celtic Knot. I was saddened at how quiet and tranquil the once thriving club was as I entered through a hallway that I knew would lead me to the Common Room. My shoes echoed off of the walls of the silent room with each tentative step I took, the smell of leather filtered through my nostrils and became stronger the deeper I made my way in. The stage, the bar, the entire room once was packed with a crowd of people who used this club as an escape, or a place where their needs and desires could be met. I used it as a place to grow closer to the man who had captivated me so completely, and now I was using it to push him farther away.

The envelope I held in my hands burned through my skin as I thought about the contents that it contained. Faked financial “records” according to Asher that would be found when the police were to come tomorrow with a search warrant issued by the prosecution. I was informed that officer Russell was the “lead investigator” for the case.
How fitting.
I couldn’t wait to bring his sorry ass down right along with Asher.

I pulled the pin-sized flashlight from my pocket so that I wasn’t surrounded in complete darkness. Even though there weren’t any walls that could let the outside world know that I was inside, I didn’t want to take any chances. I snuck my way through the Common Room to the stairway that I knew would lead me to Dominic’s office. Each foot I placed on the step punctured a deeper hole in my heart. I was ascending upward, but in reality, it felt like I was falling into a deep, dark place that only the love of one person could cure.

As I approached the door to Dominic’s office, I thought about turning around and telling Asher and Drake they could shove these papers straight up their asses. Placing a tentative hand upon the handle, I turned it only to be surprised by resistance.