Mad Girl Publishing

A Red Light Valentine

A Whitlock Short Story

International Bestselling Author 

A. A. Dark

Copyright © 2018 by A.A. Dark

All Rights Reserved 

THIS STORY IS RATED PITCH BLACK AND IS INTENDED FOR READERS 21+. PLEASE SEE THE HOME PAGE FOR A LIST OF TRIGGER WARNINGS.

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“I’m off tonight. Slip to the side hall by yourself. Meet me there.”

“Meet you? Do you have a gift for me?”

Biting his bottom lip, Rayden glanced toward the top left of my cell, right where the camera resided. 

“You’ve been building me up since you got here. Weeks,” he stressed. “No more games, Forty-two. Meet me.”

I smiled as his fingers gripped to my white hospital-style gown at my stomach. The tug brought us closer. In the White Room, it was mandatory that everyone wear them. I couldn’t stand it. I missed the days of lace and pink dresses. Of sitting at my small table with my dolls, drinking tea with Daddy. I missed his smile…his cock. Liar. They were all liars. 

“It’s Valentine’s Day. Let me show you what that means. I bet you have no idea, do you?”

There was silence between us as I stared into light blue eyes. Did he think me stupid because I grew up at Whitlock? That my delicate age deemed me a naïve child? I had never been young. Not a day that I could remember. Last Valentine’s Day, Daddy experimented with chocolate syrup and whipped cream. It was an enjoyable, messy night. Even bitter over my memories, I couldn’t deny it was one of my favorites.

“Valentine’s,” I forced out. “A day of love. A day of gifts. A day for red.”

“You do know, then.” The lust clouding his face faded the smallest amount. “I can give you red again tomorrow…if you meet me tonight.”

“It’s tempting.”

“I knew you wanted me. Fuck, if I wasn’t pulling duty—”

“When has that ever mattered? Guards rape whenever their dick gets hard. You can’t fuck because you want to?”

“Rape is punishment. It doesn’t involve emotion. Besides, the high leader is breathing down our necks with good reason.”

“What reason would that be? Do you know something I don’t?”

A laugh filled the space as he stepped in closer, tracing up and down my stomach before moving his digits to apply pressure over my clit. The contract spiked rage, but I held still as his head lowered and he began whispering in my ear.

“I know something big. Something that’s about to rock every Master and Mistress behind these walls. Any second everyone will know. When they do, this place may never be the same.”

“Tell me, Rayden. What—” My breath caught in my throat as my mind raced. Was the Main Master dead? Had someone finally got to him? God, I could only hope. He deserved to die for throwing me in here. But if he wasn’t dead…or if he was…What was this explosive secret? 

“Shhh. Tonight. Meet me, and then I’ll tell you everything.”

I stepped back from the invasive touch, glaring at his terms. Had he been my favorite guard? He was just like every other man. They all wanted one thing. They always wanted that. 

“Tell me now or I won’t meet you.”

 “Is that attitude I detect? Spoiled little brat. Look at you, crossing your arms over your chest, pouting. Even if I did want to tell you, I don’t have the time. I’ve been gone long enough. Side hall—tonight. News after pussy.”

“Careful, name-calling may hurt my feelings. You really don’t want to do that.”

Rayden paused, gripping the door as his lids narrowed even more. “You think I’m scared of you or your followers? Think again. I’ll hurt a lot more than your feelings if you keep playing games with me.”

****

“Did he upset you? What do you want us to do?”

The question sounded muffled through the wall. I lowered to my bed, not able to stop from smiling at how wrapped around my finger these men were. Any one of the twelve that took orders from me would kill at my command. There was great power in that. It fed my need for revenge.

“I’ll take care of this one. Have you heard of anything outside of the White Room? I get the feeling something big has happened. I want to know what it is.”

“I’ve heard nothing. The guards are extra quiet this morning. It is rather odd.”

“Find out..”

Seventy-nine’s voice faded as he moved to the other side of his room to speak with his neighbor. 

Minutes passed. Longer. My stare didn’t leave the cement ceiling as I waited. Time took its toll and heaviness set in. Unconsciousness went in and out. Dreams of another life, the only life I knew, welcome me home. But not to the day I wished to remember.

“How’s Daddy’s girl? Have you been good while I’ve been away?” 

“No.”

My one-word response had him lifting one of his eyebrows. No amusement rested on his handsome features. A tick pulled at his cheek, and he shut the front door behind him, letting his expensive leather briefcase fall to the floor. The action alone said everything: Daddy wasn’t in a good mood. Good.

“Would you care to elaborate, Princess?”

“No.”

“No? You’re not speaking with me?”

“I’m mad at you. You were gone too long. Longer than last time.”

“I have to work. You know that.”

“What about me? What am I supposed to do; spend my life waiting on you? Do nothing until you appear? Talk to no one? I hate this place. I hate this place, and I hate you!”

One step.

Two.

Slowly, his hands rose to his hips as he scowled. Aside from the briefcase, his business attire was long gone. He was sporting a pair of dark denim jeans and a light gray long-sleeve shirt. Four little buttons rested along the top. His usual styled salt-and-pepper hair was in disarray. It was as if he’d been standing in a storm for too long. He was my world. He was beautiful.

“Apologize.”

“Will you punish me if I don’t?” 

“Is that what you’re trying to get me to do?”

My mind screamed ‘yes’. Anything to get daddy to hold me. To cradle me while I cried from his stern hand. And then he’d feel bad for spanking me too hard and he’d be mine, just like I forced him to be when I was twelve. He hated touching me, but I always got what I wanted. And he liked it, even if he did battle the reasons why. 

Before I could answer, his head gave a hard shake. “Let’s start over, Faith. I don’t feel like punishing you today. I didn’t even want to come.”

“What?”

Tea sloshed over delicate porcelain, spilling onto the same table I had had since I was six years old. Pain throbbed on the side of me knee, angering me even more as I jerked the short pink dress down. I didn’t even fit underneath the damn thing. And my dress was getting too small. Didn’t he see any of this? Didn’t he care? Not want to come?

“Enough with the dramatics. I’m not in the mood. Grab something and clean up your mess.”

“But…but…”

Silence. Dismissal. Both weighed against me as he turned his back and headed into the kitchen. I didn’t think as I grabbed the 18k gold handle and threw the small teapot across the room. Porcelain shattered just shy of his feet and tea sprayed out in all directions over the wooden floor.

Daddy spun, seething as his dark eyes slid up to mine. 

“I just bought you that set. Do you have any idea how much that cost! You ungrateful…little…bitch. That’s it. That. Is. It! I’ve had enough of your childish little tantrums. For the last year, I’ve done everything I can think of to make you happy. Nothing is working. I was waiting to tell you, but you give me no choice. I’m leaving here, Faith, and I’m not coming back. I’ve met someone. We’re getting married.”

“M-Married?” The floor seemed to move under my feet as I reached to the wall for stability. His words weren’t making sense. Met someone? He didn’t want me anymore?

Stabbing pain tore into my heart, slicing its way through until tears were pouring down my face. 

“It was never supposed to be like this,” he said, calmer. “You…I only wanted you hidden after your mother’s death. Hidden. Not…like this with us. I tried to be a good father to you despite you weren’t mine. I tried to keep you happy to make up for my sins.” He closed his eyes, exhaling deeply. “Faith, what happened between us was wrong. It’s my fault. I tried to justify my guilt because of where we are, but I’m not okay with continuing our relationship. This is not why I’m at Whitlock. Fourteen years I’ve neglected what I want because of you, but I’m over it. I’ll have this apartment in case my cravings return. But you…you’re going to have to go. I’ll find you a good Master. Maybe I’ll even get to see you from time to time.”

The sob that tore from my throat came out as a roar at the end. I lunged, picking up the perfectly placed tea cups, and throwing them with every ounce of rage I possessed.

“Liar! Liar!”

Porcelain shattered and sugar showered daddy as the holder flew by his head. Shock transitioned to anger, and he was on me before I could think to move. My red curls blinded me as he threw me over his shoulder and brought his palm down hard over my ass. A scream came as my head shot up, but the explosive blows didn’t stop.

Whack! Whack! Whack! 

Whack! 

Whack!

“You are out of control. This…”

I bounced on the bed and tried to lift myself, but his hand flattened between my shoulder blades as he continued. Heat poured from my ass. I was crying so hard, defeated by the betrayal. My fight was fading, and I went limp, taking two more spankings before he stopped. 

“This is not right. It’s too…too…fuck!”

Deep pants left him, barely audible over the grief that sent odd moans mingling with my cries. Big hands gripped my biceps, spinning me as he picked me up and sat on the bed, cradling me. I wanted to thrash. I wanted to strike him so he could feel the agony he had caused within me. But I couldn’t. I knew what was coming. Daddy couldn’t deny his love of violence. And after the violence, came passion. With the passion, came my manipulation. 

****

“Wake up, Forty-two. I got your dinner.”

Fingers caressed my arm, pulling me from heaven—extracting me from my own hell. Even as I opened my eyes, my mind was trying to convince myself that killing Daddy hadn’t changed anything. Two weeks had gone by after our amazing night and still he didn’t return. I wasn’t sure he would. With barely any food left, I ventured into City Center on a mission to end my own life. It was a fool’s act, but I was desperate. Daddy had told me the horrors that went on in Whitlock. Where I used to chalk it to scary stories to keep me within our walls, I had heard the screams over the years. I knew what I was faced with if he sold me to someone else. I couldn’t live through that. 

“Hey, you okay?”

“Hmm?”

“You’re a little pale.”

The fingers moved from the bend of my elbow, staying centered on the inside of my forearm. It was soft…and inappropriate. 

“My food is here?”

I sat, playing the innocent, little girl. Most working guard knew the act was a façade, but the bastards fell for it every time. Widening my eyes and pouting my lip did wonders. Add in a soft, scared tone, and they were eating out of the palm of my hand. At least for a while. 

“Yes. When I called out for you to take the tray, you didn’t come. I wanted to check to see if you were okay.”

“Thank you. Can I?”

At my slight shift and point to the tray, the guard spun and retrieved it quickly. 

“Here you go. I gave you an extra apple. I know you like those.”

“That was nice of you.” I gave him a big smile, reaching for one, and taking a big bite. Juice dribbled over my lips, dripping from my chin. My laugh was mirrored by his and he reached over, wiping the wetness with his thumb.

“There. Now you’re looking better. Anything else I can get you while I’m here?”

I took my time chewing. As I did so, I ran my jaw along the hand that still hovered. The guard’s breathing increased and his feet shifted as he waited. 

“I was told there’s big news. Exciting, isn’t it?”

The expression melted as he slowly straightened. His whole demeanor changed as he studied my face. “Exciting? I wouldn’t say the Main Master being arrested was exciting. Are you…What do you plan to—?” 

Yells broke out in the distance and he glanced at the door before putting more distance between us. 

“Is he here yet? I’m going to guess from my lack of information, the answer is no.”

“Keep your men and your thoughts away from the Main Master. That’s not a threat. That’s an order.”

“Right. Of course.”

The guard glared, turning and slamming the door behind him. I bit harder into the apple, savoring the flavor. Savoring the evilness within. The Main Master, here, in the White Room. It was a dream come true. Fate. We faced each other once after Daddy’s death. He sentenced me without letting me even tell my side of the story. I was dismissed like I was nothing. Like I was no one. He turned his back on me and threw away the key. There was nowhere for him to run off to now. Bram Whitlock was in my domain, and here, he would pay.

****

Whistling. The uneven melody wasn’t meant for entertainment. The pitch rose and fell, singing a grievous tune. I liked to think it was about love and death. Daddy and daughter. Loyalty and betrayal. Every note symbolized a second closer to the red—the end. It was a warning to me and my men. A sign that we should get ready. Most slaves wouldn’t hear the song, but not everyone knew the guards like I did. Sure, I’d fucked some for favors. It meant nothing. As long as I got more power and people behind me, that was the only thing that mattered. 

Easing from the bed, I headed to the door, stopping with enough room to allow it to open. The whistling grew louder, coming to a stop just outside my door. 

Clanking.

Footsteps fading.

One minute.

Two.

Three.

Lights flickered, strobing through the room before the deafening alarm took over. A red glow blanketed the surroundings and the barrier clicked, swinging open automatically. I raced forward, knowing what was waiting for me. The dagger was small, and neighboring slaves couldn’t help but get close. They needed weapons to protect themselves. Their only problem was getting too close to me. 

Nervous eyes—new eyes, jerked wildly at the chaos breaking out. The young girl wasn’t sure what to do, but it didn’t take her long to see what was at my feet. The axe was longer than my arm, and she was headed right for it. Seeing me standing perfectly still, she didn’t give me a second thought. Maybe it because we were the same sex and she didn’t feel threatened, or maybe her slightly older age gave her a sense of empowerment. Whatever it was, I didn’t let her bask in it for long.  

 Dark, short hair swayed as the top of her body dove down. Fingers wrapped around the handle seizing almost immediate as I swung wide and drove my dagger into the side of her neck. Blood sprayed, streaming from the bottom of the wound while her body jolted through the shock.

“Forty-two!”

My men were fighting as they got closer. Blood was already puddling in places, growing bigger in others as mere seconds passed. I pulled my dagger free, thrusting at the spine of a man who tried to back away from my neighbor, Seventy-nine. The blade hit bone, leaving a grounding sensation throughout my fingers as I tried to push and dig in deeper. A delayed, deep yell overpowered the alarm, and the slave crumbled, not able to escape as seventy-nine threw himself down on top of the injured man. Rolling my wrist, I cut through muscle and ligaments, hollowing out the area with every circle I pretended to carve.

Stinging engulfed my fingers and palm from the constant slippage, but I didn’t care that I was cut or that our blood was merging. If I wanted to be truthful, there was a magnificence in letting their lifeforce mix with mine. It was leaving them and flowing into me. The victor. The dealer of their death. 

“The Master is at it again with that damn dog. Should we go help him?”

There was a good ten feet cleared as my wall of men kept the rest of the slaves back. Two men circled each other, and the one I liked to think of as ‘the beast’, snapped his teeth in the direction of anyone who was close. Normally, it would be a fun to rile the beast up, but I had something else in mind. Someone…else.

“You go. I have a date.”

“A…date?”

“Information. I’ll be in the side hall. Keep everyone away. The guard won’t tell me anything if he sees you all.”

“It’s not safe.”

“His names Rayden. If anything happens to me, make him suffer.”

Seventy-nine knew better than to argue. He kept his ground, watching me the entire time. When I broke into the darkness of the side hall, a black silhouette stepped to the side and opened the fifth door down. Tighter, I clutched to my dagger, keeping it turned in at my forearm. I forced myself to go back into innocent-mode and let my head drop like the good little slave he believed me to be deep inside.  

“Wasn’t sure you were going to come after earlier.”

“I could say the same for you. I’m…sorry for the way I acted.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry,” I gritted through my teeth.

“The alarm. Did you say you were sorry?”

My arm went to lift, but before I could bring up the dagger, Rayden swept his arms under mine, spinning me inside the dim red room. Lips crushed into me hard, and his large size had never felt like more of a threat. Warnings screamed in my head just as loud as the constant deep sirens filling the space.

“You said you had news.”

Rayden growled, kissing me harder as I tried to twist free. 

“Pussy, then news. I already told you this.”

“No.” My head shook as I fought harder. “Tell me now. What of the Main Master? When will he arrive? Tell me, and I’m all yours. I’ll make your Valentine’s one you’ll never forget.”

“Who told you about him?”

At his hesitation, I turned the tables, lowering my hand to trace down his stomach.

“You know I have my ways. What happened?”

“You knew, and you still came?” 

“Of course. So, tell me which version of the story you’ve heard? I’ve been told two. Did you get time of when he’ll arrive?”

“I give it a few days while they sort out the Masters and guards who are up in arms. It’s fucking crazy out there right now. Masters are threatening the guard. No one can even leave until this gets under control”

“I don’t care about them. Tell me more about Bram Whitlock. He’s been sentenced to the White Room, yes?”

“Well, yeah, but not this one.”

“What do you mean?” I snapped. “This is the White Room.”

A laugh. 

“Wrong. There’s one more—one room, and West Harper faced it. Did you ever hear the stories of how he went crazy in there? That’s where our Main Master is headed. Courtesy of his own board. They’re already making bets on how long he’ll last before he loses his mind. My guess is he breaks before that crazy, son of a bitch friend of his did. I give him two weeks. The board, they’re not even allotting that much time. You see…they think Everleigh Harper will come to his rescue. They’re counting on it so they can kill them both.” He leaned in closer, stopping at my ear. The pause was too long. I undid the button of his jeans, urging him to continue. “Little do they all know…there’s a rumor that she’s already here. She never even left.” 

I drank in the moan as Rayden slipped his tongue into my mouth. His hands were already lowering down my back, reaching my ass, but my mind wouldn’t stop screaming ‘no’. Not just because of Rayden’s touch. The Main Master was out of reach. To make it worse, Everleigh Harper would do her best to try to save him. The stories about her in the White Room were legendry. But they wouldn’t be for long.

I eased the dagger away from my forearm, straightening it as my free hand left his jeans and wrapped around his neck. At my pull, our kiss deepened. There was no hesitation on my part. I stabbed into his lower stomach, using my hold around his neck, to slice to the side. It took all of my strength to cut the smallest inch, but at least the blade was buried. Rayden swayed, throwing me off of him as a yell split the air. 

“Wh…B-bitch! I’ll…”

Cement burned my arm, but I didn’t care. I forced myself up, slicing his hand as he tried to reach for me.

“You’ll what? Nothing, Valentine. Look at all that blood. All this red.”

“Fuck. F-uck.” Each step appeared confused. Rayden seemed to want to come after me, but his legs were buckling, and he was swaying. Blood flowed over his fingers appearing black in the red light. When knocks sounded at the door, the distraction was exactly what I need. His head turned, and he reached toward the metal barrier, stumbling in the process.

Pushing against the ball of my foot, I kept low, sticking him even more with swift blows. Cries grew, but I barely heard them through the fascination. How could such a strong man be so weak when faced with death? My young mind didn’t quite understand it, but I did know one thing. This guard wasn’t dying because of my men or followers. He was dying because of me. 

Weight crashed to the ground just as the door eased open. Seventy-nine’s stare met mine, and that’s all it took for him to disappear. Lowering, I straddled Rayden’s waist, sitting on the hand that held his wound. Dark smears streaked next to his mouth and coughing followed. 

“Hel-p.”

“No.”

“P-pl…P…”

“No. Die.”

I traced the blade over his cheek, stabbing the tip in enough to have his eyes widening through the fog he seemed to be disappearing into. When he began to fade again, I poked just under his eye. A blink. A slow one. 

Wet dots covered his face as he coughed some more. A rush of air followed, and I felt myself lower almost inches from the floor. I waited, hoping, praying for a few more seconds to stare into the oblivion of his eyes. But no more breaths came. No more sounds. What I did get was vital information. It was all I could think about as I numbly stood. With the flickering of the lights, my red light Valentine’s was over. My plans for revenge were not. 

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