Dalton (Mistress & Master of Restraint) (28 page)

Chapter Twenty-Five

A frail blonde stares out the high-arched windows of the gothic WinterCrest
Asylum
. Her brittle hair is pulled atop her head in a loose bun. She’s so emaciated that the veins in her hand
s
protrude. You can see the pale blue veins running beneath her paper-thin skin.

Adelaide Whittenhower looks like an elderly woman not a vibrant thirty-two year old. She rocks in a chair and gazes blankly at the street below. Whitt and I’ve watched her for the past half hour and she hasn’t looked our way. It’s taken Whitt that long to stop silently crying as he stares at his sister.

This is what Queen meant. If you saw Adelaide Whittenhower you’d know she isn’t the author of the Masters of Restraint. I’m not sure she can formulate a sentence from her tongue let alone write a word with her feeble fingers.

“I’m so sorry,” I sob to Whitt. I haven’t stopped crying since I saw the woman either. I’ve never met her, but I’ve met Whitt, Niel, and Ella. All the Whittenhowers look alike. I don’t doubt that Adelaide used to look like them, too.

“I can’t do this,” Whitt cry is filled with sorrow.
“Grant,” Adelaide says when she hears Whitt’s voice. “Is that you Grant,” she says brightly.
Her blue eyes are clouded by whatever drug they use to control her. A heavy scar cuts across her forehead reminding me of Jamie’s scar on his lip. It was from her fight with Katya. Katya has scars, too.

“It’s me, Ade, Whitt.” Whitt steps forward and touches her hand.

“Silly, Grant. You’re always such a tease. Whitt is a child.” Her voice is light, but there is panic beneath.

“Ade, I know I look identical to Grant. We
lost him when he was twenty-six
. Don’t you remember?” He coaxes. “I’m sorry that I look just like him. It’s difficult for a lot of us.”

“Yes, he was poisoned by Father,” she growls. Her eyes immediately clear of their cloudiness.
“No, remember, he was poisoned by Cora, his wife.” Whitt tries to get her to remember.

He crouches down to her level and their eyes connect. They stare at each other for a very long time, silently communicating. She turns her head abruptly as if she can’t look at him any longer. And I finally understand what he meant by his family having a hard time looking at him.

“You’re wrong,” she accuses. “Father loves poison. He poisoned your mother, too.”
“Ade, our mother is still alive and well,” he says softly.
“Good, you keep telling yourself that, Whitt. I know you know. You were a curious child, always lurking around the Estate. Your favorite place to hide was behind the study curtains while Father plotted. It’s safer if you pretend your ignorance.”
“Ade, I pretend nothing,” Whitt says calmly, but I’ve learned to read him and he’s lying.

“Is this your lover?” Ade swings her eyes towards me.
It’s unnerving when she looks into my eyes. Her blue stare is full of life and knowledge and it’s at complete odds with her failing body.

“Dalton Fontaine Marconi, this is Adelaide Whittenhower,” Whitt says formally.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I say quietly as I shake her boney hand.
“You’re a poor liar. It’s definitely not nice to meet me, but I appreciate the sentiment.” She turns to her brother, “Very nice, Whitt. I’m sure he’s very pleasing to your sensibilities. You won’t have to pretend with our Chica any longer. I know how difficult that can be,” she trails off.
“It’s nice to finally be free,” he sounds happy and sad.

“I wouldn’t know,” Adelaide grumbles.

“I’m sorry I failed you. I’m sorry Queen failed you. We’re still trying.” Whitt drops to his knees and buries his face into his sister’s lap. She gently strokes his hair in comfort.
“It’s not the first time that bastard won
and it won’t be his last
. She can’t even get me out of here. How were you and Queen supposed to circumvent it?”

“If we get you out, you’ll go right back to her, won’t you?” Whitt says hopelessly.
“I don’t know. I doubt I’ll ever get out. As I was doing everything he asked
of me
it never dawned on me that he’d put me here anyway. I do believe that if I’d married Ezra I would have been untouchable. I’m in here because I know too much and I’m a liability. If I ever get out of here who would believe the traitor Adelaide Whittenhower that was in an insane asylum? No one, that’s who,” she murmurs.

“I’d believe you. Queen would believe you,” Whitt tries to comfort her.

“You already know his secrets even if you lie about them to my face,” she says angrily.

“Ade, what does your Master want?” He tries to lure the answer from her. 

“Is that why you’re here,” she pushes him away. “Leave,” she demands.

“That’s not why we came. I just was curious,” he whispers.
“There are two sides to every story. Both sides are usually right and wrong. It’s not black or white, Whitt. You’re on one side and I’m on the other, but at the same time we’re both right and wrong. But it doesn’t change the fact that I love you and that we
’re family. And
at the end of the day you and I want the same thing. We may go about it differently, but the outcome is the same. I went to her for help and you went to him. But we both want our family whole and me out of this endless torture of a prison.
”

“How can you say she is right?” Whitt asks.
“And how can you say he is right,” she counters. “He’s a monster for what he’s done.”
“And so is she,” Whitt replies.
“That was my point. It’s about perception. In war there are two sides. Take America and the Middle East. In America we cheer when we gain an inch in our war and they hate us for it. When they take that inch back we hate them even more. Which side is right? Is it right just because it’s the side you’re on? Because they’re on their side, so wouldn’t that make t
hem right in their eyes and you
wrong and vice versa? She’s not right, he’s not right. She’s not wrong, he’s not wrong. It’s wherever your loyalties lie.”

“When it comes to you I guess we’re on the same side. We both want you out. But Ade, never forget who put your name on that book. Don’t forget who made you the martyr for their cause. She chose the side for you by taking you away from us.”
“Father took me away from you all in the first place. Never forget that, Daniel. That is where your vengeance should lie. She gave me a choice and I chose her. Don’t forget that either. Your lover is with us today. Don’t forget that you don’t chose who you love. Don’t make me chose between her and family because they are mutually exclusive.”

“You’re stronger than I remember,” he says in shock. “Queen warned me of this.”
“My body may be frail, but when the drugs clear from my mind all I have is time to think. My mind and will get stronger as I sit here. It’s been well over two years of sitting in this chair watching the world revolve and change. That is the point, whether it’s an asylum or a prison. Both are prisons of the mind. You get sharper as your body rots before your eyes.”

“I’m sorry,” he sobs.
“You didn’t ask to be born male
as I didn’t ask to be born female
. Father never treated you right and he’s tried to hide what is rightfully yours. You’re an incredible, giving person. I don’t doubt
your sincerity or your ability to help. I doubt that all your bases are covered. Never forget what happened to Grant when he tried to get out. Don’t let him get wind of your plans or you
’
r
e
dead,” she warns.
“My birthday is
next week
. You will be out of here on that day. That will be my gift to you, Ade. I promise,” he vows.
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” she says pessimistically. “Don’t tell anyone that isn’t already privy. Your guy is pretty to look at, but I wouldn’t tell him. I’m not saying he will betray you. I’m saying watch
what you say and where. You never know
who’
s
listening. A lot can happen in a week.”

“I won’t breathe a word of it. I won’t even speak of it with Queen,” he promises.
“Good. Whitt, if I get out of here I will tell you why I’m really in here. It’s yet another goal our sides have in common. We’ve both known and we both know the other side knows, but we’ve kept it a secret because it affects us all. The second coming will happen on your birthday, Whitt. I promise you that”

“Until next week, Ade,
”
Whitt says sadly.
“If I don’t see you on your birthday because father caught wind of you coup, happy birthday and I love you. I hope you’re still breathing on your twenty-fourth!”

“You can count on it. I love you, too.” He kisses her on the cheek.
We walk out of her cold, stone room and down the hall.
“I never thought I’d say this,
but
I’m glad I grew up in Vegas. Trash with money was easier to live through than old-world money.” I shake my head.
“Why do you say this?” Whitt asks in confusion.
“Because where I come from we just put a bullet into the brain of someone that holds our secrets. Here you put them into an insane asylum and watch them rot
, watch the sane turn insane
. My way was humane, your way is cruel.
”
“I won’t argue with you one that point. But my way at least gives you time to plan and execute a rescue and I will get my sister out of here,” he vows.
“That creepy shit she was spouting. She’s not batshit, is she?”
“No, she’s not.”
“And you know what she’s talking about?”
“Yes,”
he admits.

“You’re catholic. Isn’t the second coming about Christ? I’m pretty sure she’s batshit on that. I just don’t see Jesus coming to your birthday party.” I try to lighten the mood. When he sighs I know it’s not happening.
“She’s not talking about Jesus, Dalton.”
“And you know who she’s talking about?”
“Yes, I do. Now take me back to the Brownstone. I need you to make love to me until I turn twenty-four. Otherwise, by the end of the week I’ll need to be in WinterCrest for real.”

“I can do that, if you let me top once in a while. I’ll get sore otherwise,” I tease.
“I’ll look forward to the challenge, beautiful.”

Epilogue

Marcus whittled down the membership to fifty and put a cap on it. All fifty
members
proudly
stand outside of Restraint in the street. We’re blocking traffic and we could give a shit less. It’s a day of celebration. Our club has a huge
Grand Reopening
banner wrapped around the building.
Aaron remodeled the club. Ezra and Cortez remodeled the upstairs into our personal Master rooms and a few reservation only private rooms for VIP members.

The hall where our old rooms were is now lined with theme rooms for the members to get their kink on. Each Master created a theme room to their liking. Dexter and I shared a room since his Sadism complimented my Masochism. Whitt’s obsession with restraints created a room that’s a hybrid between a hardware store and a stable. Katya’s room looks like a vampire lair. Every person who peeked into Ezra’s room busted a nut- Dr. Zeitler is in the house.

Marcus and Devlin renovated the dungeon. And none of us has seen it yet.

We all ignore the albatross that glows neon pink next to us. The club has its own grand opening sign, but it says
French Kissed Kink.
My mother is haunting us next door with her new BDSM club. The members we chopped from our ranks flooded next door. We all sneer as we see the bright lights in our peripheral vision. She thinks she’s won. She can think again.
I snap the newest edition open and gloat. I feel her stare directly on me as she stands in the third-story window. I tip the pamphlet in her direction and reread it for the fiftieth time.

Generation Next

Your BDSM lifestyle insider

When you fall from on high, you fall fast and hard.

Master Olivia Fontaine
is a traitor. She has been banished from the very community that she helped create. Her world famous Kink is no longer in her possession. She helped incite riots at Restraint in hopes that it would close. During these riots she paid five men and one woman to kill her first born and only son, Dalton Anthony Fontaine Marconi. These actions led to the media storm that surrounded Restraint’s membership. She was the leak of information on all of the Masters in her organization that led to the two installments of Masters of Restraint. Tonight is the grand opening of her new club, French Kissed Kink. FKK, ironically, is directly next door to Restraint.

If you have any loyalty or ethics you will avoid this club at all costs. How can your identities be safe when she is the one that will publicize you? One day you may
be driving your children to day
care and hear on the radio that you get off on cock-and-ball torture. This is what happened to the Masters of Restraint. Don’t be so arrogant to think it won’t happen to you. Beware: Generation Next will out any members of the Lifestyle that enter French Kissed Kink. If Olivia Fontaine doesn’t out you, we will. You’ve been warned.