by Anna Edwards
I can’t believe what Yivi told me.
How could she not know about money or television?
How could anyone live like that?
It’s not an existence anyone should be forced into.
I turn my head toward the clock in the corner of the room, wondering how long I’ve been sitting here. It’s almost morning. Six am. I’m exhausted. I should have slept, but my brain won’t switch off.
The door opens and in walks a sleepy looking Tate, Cameron, and Austin. All are rubbing their eyes, and they stumble to various seats in the room.
“Zoey gets up far too early,” Tate grumbles. “She saw the light on in here, and she told us we all had to come and check on you.”
Cameron yawns and stretches. “You all right?” he asks
Austin leans his head against the tall backed chair he’s sitting on and shuts his eyes. “What they said.”
I pick the brandy up and take another mouthful before answering them. “I spoke to Yivi.”
“About the kiss?” Tate questions.
“Yes,” I reply solemnly. “I’m confused.”
“That’s women for you.” Cameron yawns again before scratching his balls in the loose tracksuit pants he’s wearing.
“There are many things Zoey does that confuse me all the time. You get used to it, though,” Tate adds.
“Yivi asked me not to press forward with the annulment.”
“What?” My bandmates seem to go from half asleep to wide awake instantly. They all have looks of anger on their faces, except for Austin—his is more one of confusion.
“Why wouldn’t she want to get divorced from you as soon as possible?” he asks suspiciously.
“Cheers, for the vote of confidence as a husband, mate,” I snort.
“She’s a money grabbing whore. We misread her yesterday, and she’s taking advantage of the fact we’re nice.” Tate isn’t impressed.
“No, it’s not that,” I tell him.
I need more brandy. I have to finish the entire glass…the bottle. Maybe that will stop the ache in my chest.
“Liam?” Cameron sits forward in his chair with the intense look on his face that he gets when he knows something’s seriously wrong.
“She doesn’t even know what a television is,” I reply stupidly.
“What?” Tate responds. It’s such an alien concept to us. We’ve grown up with televisions. We can’t imagine a life without them.
“She doesn’t understand money, and I’m not sure how much she can read. I was watching her with signs yesterday, and they didn’t always seem to make much sense to her.”
“She’s led a very sheltered life. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get an annulment. This is your life. You don’t have to be married to someone because you feel sorry for them.”
I know the words Tate speaks are the truth, but it’s the reason why she’s led a life so vastly different from mine that concerns me.
“She grew up in a cult. Two days ago, she was supposed to be married to a man who would, for want of better words, fuck her until he got as many kids as he wanted out of her. She didn’t have a say in the matter. She ran away from him and straight into me and another unwanted marriage, having never drunk alcohol before and getting plastered off her first sip. I fucked her. I don’t know if I was gentle or rough, but I made her bleed because she was a virgin. She thinks she has to get pregnant with my kids because that’s what she’s been told has to happen. When you told me I was an idiot yesterday, you weren’t wrong. I completely fucked up, but not for myself, for her, for the woman I put in my bed and who didn’t have a clue what I was doing to her.”
My confused verbal diarrhea leaves my bandmates stunned and quiet. They open and close their mouths like fish as they try to find something to say. Finally, Cameron holds his hands out to try and calm the situation.
“All right, let’s think about this sanely and calmly. How do we know she’s telling the truth? It could be a ploy.”
“Because she can’t fucking lie, even to save herself,” I snap back.
“I have to agree there. Zoey’s seen it too,” Tate adds.
“All right.” Cameron gets to his feet. “Do you know the name of the place she says she comes from?”
I nod toward my phone on the table. The second I came back to the room after speaking with Yivi, I searched the internet for information on Serendipity Falls. Everything about their philosophy disgusts me. I had to stop reading in the end.
Cameron grabs my phone and swipes it open. We’ve always known each other’s security codes. He starts to read the page. When he slumps back down in his chair and turns ghostly white, I know he’s as sickened as I am about what he’s seen.
“This can’t be true,” he states as he hands the phone to Austin, and my best friend starts to read.
“I’ve searched a few sites, and they all say the same. They believe they have to live like they’re still the middle ages. They’ve no modern medicine, no technology. Nothing like that. And women are the property of men.”
Austin reads what he needs to and passes the phone to Tate, who flicks quickly through the page I’ve found. It’s an article about someone who’d escaped the cult. It explains everything is in the hands of one man, a leader who dictates the rules for everyone in the cult to follow. They’re based not that far from here.
“Jesus! That’s whacked.” Tate hands me my phone.
“What do we do?” Cameron asks.
“You don’t have to do anything. This is my decision,” I respond.
“Fuck that, we’re in this together, remember.” Austin is on his feet and comes over to me. He slaps me on the back and then perches on the side of my chair, picking up my brandy and taking a large mouthful himself.
“She’s not going back there,” Tate tells us. “She’s under our protection from this moment forward.”
“How are we going to do that, though? I’ve got all the annulment papers here from the record company. They’re going to want them signed and returned in a few hours. They’ll expect Yivi gone.” I motion my head toward a stack of papers on a table in the corner of the room.
“We can do this two ways.” Tate thumps his hand down on the arm of the chair he’s sitting on. “First, you sign the papers, and then the Foundation will step in. We’ll help Yivi change her identity and disappear. We’ll give her all the support she needs.”
“And the second?” I inquire.
“Well, that one depends on you. The first moment I saw Zoey, I knew she was going to be my wife. Yeah, I was a bit of a dick to her for a while, but I knew. My heart knew, it just took my head a little bit longer to catch up because, let’s face it, most of the time it’s full of lyrics, and I’m a bit slow on the uptake. How do you feel in your heart about Yivi?”
I know I should feel terrified of her and what having her around means. It’s an end to my playboy days. It’s a commitment even if we don’t have a normal marriage or relationship. I’ll still be responsible for her. But that doesn’t scare me. I want to do it. That’s why my chest is hurting, I finally realize. No amount of brandy will cure it. I’m intrigued by Yivi. She’s sexy, and I enjoyed watching her get to see and experience new things yesterday.
I place my hand on my heart, and not fearing my bandmates will laugh at me, I reply, “She’s in here, and I don’t think she’ll ever leave, even though I barely know her.”
“Then she stays with us, under our protection on the tour. The marriage part is for you and her to discuss together and make a decision on, but we’ll support whatever you choose to do. I’m also pretty sure Zoey could use some help. We all seem to be getting into some sort of mischief on this tour, and I bet it won’t be too long until Austin and Cameron follow our lead.”
“I’m never getting married. Too many women to explore,” Cameron interjects forcefully. It lightens the mood of tension in the room.
“I think I definitely prefer option number two. Thank you, guys.” I smile for the first t
ime since playing spin the bottle last night.
“Does that mean we’ve solved the issue Zoey sent us here to deal with?” Cameron questions and yawns.
“I think we have.” Tate smiles proudly.
“We’re good.” Austin chuckles.
“I think I’m going to go and find my fiancée and tell her I’ve done a good thing.” Tate winks. I know he’s hoping to get laid for being a good boy.
“I’m going back to bed,” Cameron responds.
“I’m going to join you but in a separate room.” Austin rubs his eyes.
“Thank you, guys,” I tell them all again.
“Go tell Yivi the good news. Zoey will be knocking on her door soon with a load of tasks. I’m certain of that.”
“I will.”
I follow the guys out of my room. We’ve taken over most of this floor of the hotel, so they disappear quickly into their rooms, and I make my way down the corridor toward the room Yivi took over from me. But as I turn the corner, preparing to knock on her door, I’m confronted with her already dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt Zoey gave her. Over her shoulder, she’s carrying the bag she had when I first met her. She takes one look at me, her eyes go wide, and she takes off at a run down the corridor toward the elevator.
Chapter 8
Yivi
#MyNewObessionIsTheBritishRoyalFamily
I can’t get away quickly enough as Liam approaches me. I’m not going back to Serendipity Falls. I won’t, no matter who sends me there. I race for the elevator, but I’m not quick enough. Liam’s strong arms wrap around my waist and pull me toward his hard body. I scream and kick out.
“Let go of me!”
“Where are you going?” Liam responds.
“As far away from you as possible. I won’t go back there,” I yell and kick at his leg. He howls in pain but is still able to keep ahold of me. “Let me go. Help!”
“Go back where?” Liam questions through gritted teeth as I lash out at him again.
“Serendipity Falls,” I spit as a few doors open and a couple of heads peer out.
“Too fucking right.” Liam still manages to hold tightly to me. “You’re never going back there.”
“What?” I still in his arms, unsure of what I just heard coming from his lips.
“Is everything all right, Miss?” One of the other hotel guests asks.
Tate and Zoey appear in the corridor, and Zoey instantly tries to placate the concerned guests.
“You are never going back to Serendipity Falls,” Liam confirms.
“But you asked me where I came from. I thought you would contact them and get them to come for me.”
“No fucking way. I wanted to read about them. I wanted to know everything to make sure I can protect you.”
“You aren’t sending me back there?” I question dumbfounded.
“No, you’re staying here with me.”
Tate coughs behind me. “Maybe you two should take this back to a room.” He jerks his head toward Zoey, who is trying to make sure the other guests are satisfied that nothing untoward is going on between me and Liam. We must look a bit of a sight.
“Good idea.” Liam removes his hands from around my waist and holds his right one out to me. I look down at it and notice he has tattoos over his fingers. It’s not something I’ve seen before, and it seems silly to notice it now. “Yivi, do you trust me? I promise I won’t send you back.”
I hesitate for a moment, but even though I don’t know Liam that well, I’ve already experienced his honesty. I was wrong to mistrust him. I panicked. I take his hand, and he leads me back into the bedroom I’ve been using.
“I hope I didn’t hurt you.” Liam checks me over to make sure I’m not injured. It doesn’t seem to matter to him that he’s limping from where I kicked him in the shin.
“No, I’m fine.” I put my bag down on the floor and make my way over to the fridge in the corner of the room. I heard Zoey call it a minibar. I grab some ice and wrap it in a towel. “Sit down. I’ll put this on your leg.”
“I’m okay.” Liam waves me away, but when he takes a step forward, I can tell he’s in pain.
“Liam, please.”
He reluctantly agrees to sit, and when I roll the leg of his pants up, I see a big red mark.
“You’ve got a good kick.” He laughs.
“When I’m desperate enough.”
He reaches forward and tenderly lifts my head so I’m looking at his face rather than his leg.
“I’m sorry for scaring you. Honestly, the only reason I wanted to know the name of the place where you lived was so I could read about it.”
“I realize that now. I guess it’s another thing I don’t really understand. It’s going to take me a long time to learn about everything in the modern world. I’d never seen a car before I came here, and the helicopter ride yesterday scared the life out of me, but the view was worth it. I can’t begin to fathom how it gets up in the sky. The only transport I’d experienced before coming here was a horse and cart.”
“How did you cope for even just a few hours alone in Las Vegas? This is one of the most vibrant cities in the world. It must have been terrifying.”
“Adrenaline?” I offer, not really sure how I did manage.
I remember when I first arrived, I didn’t understand the sights and sounds of Las Vegas at all, and as the city fell dark, the lights nearly blinded me, and I cried. I was beyond terrified until I met Liam, and he offered me help. The wholesome mahogany of his eyes had given me comfort.
“What did you read about Serendipity?” I finally ask, scared of what’s written about the place I come from. I already know it’s vastly different from the outside world.
“It’s not a bad place, I don’t want you to think that.” Liam says this through gritted teeth, and I suspect he’s lying to me. “But it’s not a place you should be. You’re better here, experiencing the freedom of a modern world rather than existing within the constraints of an old-fashioned one.”
“Old-fashioned?” I question, not sure what he means by that term.
“Yes, it’s difficult to explain. Have you been taught anything about history?”
“I’ve been taught how we came to be on Earth, and I know God expects us to live a frugal life and tend his lands, keeping them rich for the future generations produced by women.”
“What about the Civil War? Independence? The Mayflower?”
“I’ve heard of the Mayflower. It’s a ship that brought my ancestors here from the cesspit of England. They came for the riches of these lands and because they could be good people here. Does England still exist, or did it burn along with all the sinners there?”
Liam takes a deep breath in. “Is the cult based around the teachings of the Puritans?”
I nod, thinking back to the lectures our Leader gave us on how we should continue their ways.
“I know what I’m working with then. I’ve spoken with the rest of the band, and I’m not going to proceed with the annulment just yet. That doesn’t mean we’ll live as man and wife, though. We need to get to know each other better before we can make any decisions on that. I want to help you learn about the world and show you how amazing it can be.”
I let out a sigh of relief. I know it’s crazy to want to be with this man who’s virtually a stranger, but I’m certain he and his friends have nothing but kindness in their hearts and will protect me. I can learn to be the person I’ve always dreamed about becoming, finally.
I wasn’t completely honest when I said I’d never seen a car before coming to Las Vegas. I have seen one previously. I once saw the Leader leave in one in the middle of the night. As I watched the sleek lines of the crisp white machine, I was in awe of the way it moved so effortlessly, and I was amazed by the lights at the front that magically illuminated the night. I’d known from that moment on that the world I was living in wasn’t enough for me. I needed to see what was outside the four walls of the compound. I’m just glad I was able to escape.
“The only problem is we need to keep the marriage quiet for a while, and we have to give you a job. There are people out there called press who’ll want to know everything about you. They’ll take lots of pictures and post them around the world. I think it’s best we try to stop that from happening for a while.”
“I can’t be seen in those pictures. What if I’m recognized? I don’t know if they would reach Serendipity,” I blurt out with worry. I’m not sure the Leader is as rigid about technology when it comes to himself, especially since I know he has one of those cars.
“I agree. That’s why we’re going to tell everyone you’re Zoey’s assistant. She’ll teach you everything you need to know about the job, and you’ll help her babysit us, to make sure we don’t get into trouble. That’s what she does for us.”
It seems silly to me that someone as tiny as Zoey is responsible for ensuring that the four members of Saving Tate don’t get into trouble. Surely she’s the one who needs looking after, but I don’t question it. It’s probably one of the modern ways of the world I need to learn.
“It sounds like an interesting job. She’ll tell me everything I need to know, though, yes?”
“She will.”
“Good. I wouldn’t want to get anything wrong?”
“You won’t,” Liam replies.
I remove the towel containing the ice, and we both look down at his leg. The redness has disappeared.
“I’m sorry again for kicking you.”
“Don’t be. It’s good to know you can defend yourself if needed.” We both look at each other in silence until my stomach rumbles, loudly.
“Come on you. Let’s go back to my room so I can have a quick shower, and then I’ll take you to breakfast. I bet I can blow your mind with some of the food offered here.”
“I had a look at the menu in the little guidebook yesterday. I don’t even know what half of the things are. I know I don’t want the full English breakfast, though. The people from there are sinners, so I’m sure it will be bad.”
“I think I’m going to have to give you a history lesson.” Liam gets up from his chair and frowns at me. He helps me up and wraps his arm around my shoulders as he leads me from the room and back to his.