Unleashed (37 page)

“Where’s Ezra? Is he getting breakfast or are we waiting to go home for that? Where did Ava stay last night? Man, I am a terrible mother.” I hit the back of my head on the headboard a few times in punishment or maybe I’m tryin
g to knock some sense into myself.

“I’ll ans
wer your questions in order.” Cort winks at me as he rubs my stomach. His eyes widen in awe as he massages. I’m about to ask why when he speaks again.

“Ezra is clea
ning up a shit-storm. He left around two a.m. and was back shortly thereafter. He had to field more calls. He is bringing us some food. Ava stayed at ShadowHaven last night. I think we should rename it Estrogen Haven instead.”

“Poor Marcus in a house filled with ladies.” My snicker is cut off when I notice the weird expression that flashes over Cort’s face. It’s gone before
I can register what it means.

“What shit happened? It’s not Ray is it?”
My voice doesn’t even break. Ray used to be my boogieman, but facing him was like facing my greatest fear head on. It takes the fear factor out of what could happen when the worst has already happened.

“Ez wi
ll be back in a few minutes. He sent me a text while I was showering. Rollover, I need to check out your cane marks. What did you do to piss him off last night?”

“I called hi
m an asshole under my breath.”

“Wow.” Cort sounds impressed.

“I think Ezra would have made an excuse. I didn’t see where the cane came from, so I bet Ezra had it with him when he came to me, the bastard. He explained it afterwards. He said he was no longer my master and wanted one more time when it just him and me. I understood, so stop being so angry with him. I’d like to know who the hell my new master is, dammit!”

I try to
roll over onto my stomach and I’m hit with a wicked flash of nausea. I lunge from the bed, almost tripping on the sheets. I make it just in time to dry heave into the toilet. I’m thankful that my body was on empty. I curl up and rest my forehead on my knee. Where did that come from? Cort wipes my face with a cool rag and settles it across the back of my neck. The coolness soothes the nausea.

“I feel sick, like
I have the flu.” My entire body feels clammy.

“Part of that is the sub drop. It’s happens when you push too many limits and your mind and body can’t handle it. It will even out.”
Cort rubs my back as he speaks.

I hear the beep signaling the security lock is
engaged. My body is still sensitive from last night. I’m able to hear Ezra pad into the bathroom.
“Are you alright, Katya?” Ezra’s voice is filled with concern. I peek up at him from beneath my lashes.

“I’m not feeling very well,”
I rasp out. Ezra presses his lips in a flat line as if he is trying to suppress himself. He fails when he radiantly smiles at me. “What?” I scrunch up my eyebrows. “Why are you so happy that I feel like shit? That’s not very nice.”

I crawl out from between the Ezes and stalk back into the mini-dungeon. I pull out a pair of yoga pants and a sweatshirt from the small dresser behind the sofa. I sigh when the soft fabric covers my skin. I grab a pillow from the
bed and cuddle it on the sofa.

Ezra must have set our takeout on the new coffee table before he entered the bathroom. I start scavenging
through the boxes. I’m curiously hungry after dry heaving. I select a banana nut muffin. I listen to the Ezes have a whisper fight until the bathroom door is latched, effectively cutting off my eavesdropping.

I slowly nibble the top of my muffin. I notice the paper peeking out underneath all takeout boxes. My name is in huge letter
s on the front page. “What the fuck?” I whisper to the empty room. I snap the paper open and the floor drops from my world.

Katya Waters is the catalyst for the breakup of the Zeitler-Whittenhower union according to Adelaide Whittenhower.
Ms. Whittenhower has come forward to speak her side of the story nearly six weeks after Zeitler announced their breakup.
The Times quoting Whittenhower: “Ezra Zeitler is not the man his public image portrays. The side he shows is the Humanitarian Businessman. The dark side of Zeitler is the alter ego he calls Master Ez. He owns and runs the alternative lifestyle club, Restraint. He is currently in a Triad relationship with Katya Waters and Cortez Abernathy. The three of them engage in hedonistic activities. Ezra is the father of Katya Waters’ eleven-year-old daughter, Ava Zeitler. I researched the time frame of the child’s birth. Twelve years ago Zeitler and Abernathy were kidnapped by Ray Hunter. At the same time Katya Waters was assaulted by the same man. He was incarcerated for the crimes against all three. Nine months later, Ava was born. I am sickened that I spent the last six years of my life living a lie. He didn’t break up with me three years ago. It wasn’t until Waters came back into our lives, bringing her child with her, that I confronted Ezra over his infidelity.”
The Times fact checked most of Whittenhower’s accusations. Dr. Zeitler is in fact the father of Ava Zeitler, who is the daughter of Katya Waters. It is well known that Zeitler and Abernathy were kidnapped by Ray Hunter along with another minor child. The records are sealed in regards to the sexual assault and attempted murder conviction leveled against Hunter. He was also convicted of three counts of kidnapping at the same trial. Ray Hunter was released eight weeks ago for good behavior. We were unable to locate the owner of the club, Restraint. Recently at the engagement celebration of Aaron Frost and Kayla Cummings, Zeitler, Abernathy, and Waters went public with their affair, according to several eyewitnesses.

The Times contacted Zeitler just before the paper went to
print for a statement.

Ezra Zeitler:
“I am deeply saddened that a six year partnership is reduced to this. The level of disrespect and defamation is inconceivable. I will respond to every accusation. Firstly, I have signed documents proving that Adelaide and I dissolved our engagement three years ago. In fact, the agreement was for the duration until Katya and I engaged. The reason for the delay was in respect of Adelaide for public appearances. I am sickened that the past torments of my friends at the hands of Ray Hunter were exposed. Yes, Katya was assaulted at the same time, resulting in the conception of our daughter. It is an unimaginable horror that we have to relive the memory that we are trying to heal from. There was a reason the court records were sealed- to protect the innocent. As for the affair between Cortez, Katya, and myself, bonds form during traumatic experiences. In this case, we have a strong bond that I will cherish until the end of my life. I am the owner and a Master of Restraint. I proudly admit that I am a member of the BDSM lifestyle. I make no excuses for who I am, who I associate with, and what I do. I hope that readers realize that this is a case of a publicity seeker screaming that she is a scorned woman and victim. In reality the true victims are being victimized.”

We hope to obtain interviews with all of the parties mentioned above to give you the story from all angles.

The paper falls from my fingertips. The confusion that was swirling in my mind since last night evaporates under a tide of fury. If Adelaide was standing before me at this very moment, I would kill her with my bare hands. My child, my poor child, didn’t know. The thought snaps something inside me and I unleash.

I sweep the takeout boxes from the coffee table with the flat of my arm. I watch in fascination as food and beverage splatter on every surface. The tomato juice runs in rivulets down the slate tile. It looks like
freshly spilled blood. I imagine it’s Adelaide’s blood as I heave the new coffee table across the room. I feel satisfaction as it shatters against the cement wall. I feel crazed as my scream echoes around the dungeon.

Strong arms try to secure me as I fight. My fury unleashes a monster that I can’t contain. A small portion of my brain screams for me to relent. I fight, scratch, kick, and pull against the arms that try to subdue me. I hear nothing, see nothing, feel no
thing, and taste nothing, but red- red, hot fury.

A sharp slap to my cheek whips my face to the side. It’s
painful enough to bring a small amount of reality into focus. I’m standing in the shower, clothed, with freezing water cascading down on me. I look up, wide-eyed, to the men. I can tell by the look on Ezra’s face that he is the one that slapped me. Their faces and arms are scored from my nails. Blood drizzles from the corner of Ezra’s mouth. I must have punched him. Both men are gasping for breath.

“Are you sane?” Ezra puffs the words out with great effort. His gunmetal, gray eyes are wide with shock.

“I think so,” I roughly pant.

“If Katya
hadn’t already beaten me to the punch, Ezra, I would pound you into the ground for this shit. I take it you were stupid enough to bring the paper in here, fucktard,” Cort chastises Ezra.

“I don’t have time to
argue with you again for the hundredth time today.” Ezra hisses out of frustration. “Quit being a self-righteous prick and help me take care of Katya.”

“No, I’ll take care of myself. Just give me a min
ute. I’m gonna be sick again.” My body rejects the few morsels of banana nut muffin before I exit the shower. I’m thankful that the bathroom is so small. I lean out the shower door and just reach the toilet before I empty my stomach. I heave over and over until I swear my organs come up.

I yank my sweats from my body w
hile hovering hands try to help. I ignore them. I stand under the freezing spray and let it wash the fury away. It only recedes. I can feel it simmering just beneath the surface. This is going to impact all of our lives. I thought Ray’s reappearance was fatal. We will never be the same after this- none of us.

I exit the shower
, ignoring the helpful hands again. I pull a towel around myself and walk into the dungeon in search of clothes. I can feel the pair ghosting behind me, waiting for me to snap. I guess they have good reason when I see the devastation I caused.

“Next new coffee table better be made out of steel
and bolted to the floor,” I sarcastically say as I pull on a cotton dress. I don’t even care that I don’t have undergarments. My body hurts too much for binding bras and panties.

I pick my muffin up out of a slurry of milk and coffee. I check it over
, noticing it’s only soiled on the paper wrapper, and nibble at it. “Okay, Boss, what’s the plan? What shit have you been spinning? How bad is this going to ruin our lives? I guess those hoods won’t be an issue for you two anymore.”

“We live, that’s it. We tell Ava the truth
, and we move on with our lives. We don’t respond to anything that is thrown at us. We just ignore it.” Ezra toes some of our breakfast around. He longingly looks at it in hunger. I feel sort of bad now for taking my anger out on innocent food.

“You’ve never ignored anything before, Ezra. You’re favorite past time is picking a scab until it’s a festering wound. What does ignoring it accomplish?”
Cort swipes the blood-red tomato juice up with my towel.

“I stated the fact
s, nothing will change them. Ade is slandering us. She broke her contract. I don’t want to have a media war. I just want us to live our lives. I want our family to finally move on from this shit. This is who we are. I want to scream to the world ‘
take us as we are
.’ If they don’t- fuck ‘em.”

“Fuck ‘em,” I agree.

“Fuck ‘em,” Cort repeats.

“I want to kill Adelaide. I thought I hated Ray. I was wrong. Something about that ruthless bitch is worse than Ray. He walks this earth as himself. She fakes it. Deep down she is more
evil than Ray, and that terrifies me. Ezra this is just the beginning. I can feel it.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

…The release of the contract admonishes Whittenhower’s claims that she was the injured party. Ray Hunter’s interview was the final nail in her coffin. The Zeitler family is all anyone can talk about, especially with the Frost-Cummings n
uptials this Saturday at ShadowHaven, the Zeitler estate. An inside source informed High Society Nightly that Ezra will stand in as the best man beside Aaron Frost, and Katya Waters will act as Maid of Honor for Kayla Cummings. HSN will keep you abreast on the latest gossip surrounding our new media darlings.

“Ava, just turn it off. Her voice is grating on my nerves.”
I clench my teeth and squeeze my temples against the stress-headache that’s plagued me for a week.

“Ma, I wanted t
o see what else they had to say,” she whines.

“Nothing is going to change. They don’t have any information we don’t already know. It’s pointless to dwell on this shit.”

“I’m scared that some of the stuff that they’re saying at school will get out.” Ava’s stormy gray eyes are filled with sorrow.