Dynasty Boys

Chapter 23

Elle

"Nicole, are you okay? Someone spiked our drink! Are you home? Carter told me Vaughn took you!" I spat it out all too quickly, the words tumbling over each other in my rush to make sure she was alright. My heart was pounding in my chest, and a knot twisted in my stomach. I couldn't believe I had handed her the drink.

"Relax, Elle! I'm fine... I promise," Nicole muttered, her voice soft but reassuring.

"Thank god! Where are you?" I felt a surge of relief, but the worry wasn't gone. If she was still with Vaughn, I was going to lose it. He had a way of getting into people's heads, messing with them for fun.

"I'm home now! Vaughn just dropped me off. Can I call you later? My mom's calling me." She said, and I could hear the exhaustion in her voice. However, I could still hear the sincerity in her words. She didn't deserve any of this. I felt a deep, protective love for her in that moment. We hadn't been friends for long, but I knew we were going to be in each other's lives for years to come.

"Oh, yeah! Don't worry. Call me when you're free." I replied before hanging up the phone. Then, I started pacing back and forth, the uneasy feeling still gnawing at me. My mind was racing through all the possible scenarios. I must've been walking for about five minutes before my phone buzzed in my back pocket, stealing my attention. I jumped, startled by the sudden interruption. My heart skipped a beat as I fumbled to pull it out, praying it wasn't the masked number again because if it was, I was done. Fortunately, it wasn't the masked number.

It was Carter.

I stared at the screen for a moment, hesitation creeping in. Carter had specifically told me to stay locked in my house. He'd been insistent, borderline frantic when he'd given me the order. But here I was, standing outside, in the middle of my garden, completely exposed. After blowing out a deep breath, I hit answer and press my phone to my ear.

"Is everything okay? Please, tell me you aren't outside?" Carter's voice raised in frustration, the edge in his tone unmistakable.

I quickly tried to calm him down. "Everything is fine! I'm just in my garden, Carter. I went for a walk, and I'll be back in five minutes." I didn't even ask him how he knew I was outside. The thought lingered for a moment, but I pushed it aside. Maybe he had some way of tracking me, or maybe he just knew I was going to disobey him.

There was a sharp tsking sound on the other end of the line, followed by a heavy exhale, loud enough that I could almost picture him running a hand through his hair in frustration. I could practically hear the tension in his voice. I stayed calm, biting back the urge to snap. Arguing with him right now seemed pointless.

As much as I wanted to brush it off, I couldn't ignore the fact that his protectiveness, the way he spoke to me, made my heart beat a little faster. It was confusing, but I couldn't deny that it stirred something deep inside.

Something I couldn't decipher...

"Go back home or I swear to fucking god I will chain you up next time I leave you alone!" I heard, and a few seconds later, the line went dead. His threat had been too scary, so I quickly picked up my pace, heading back home.

I was almost at my front door when my eyes caught sight of Carter's Audi, but I couldn't see him anywhere. As soon as I unlocked my front door, I was shoved inside by Carter himself.

"What the fuck were you thinking!? What did I tell you? We don't know what this guy is capable of! He could fucking take you while you are on your little walk and kidnap you. All I want is for you to bed safe, why don't you get it?" He asked in a low voice, his tone cold and menacing. I hated this version of Carter. All I wanted was the warm, caring Carter I was used to. I didn't feel cared for when he acted like this, he was being controlling and possessive. Deep down, I knew I was in danger, but I also knew he was using this as a way to control me.