King (Endgame Book 1)

by Riley Ashby

  I threw on the lights in the room and began haphazardly packing a bag. I wouldn't need much. Just enough for a few days and a quick escape.

  “What's wrong?” Sophie asked, squeezing her eyes shut against the light.

  “It's nothing you need to worry about. I'll be out of here in a minute and you can go back to sleep.”

  Her eyes fluttered open, slowly adjusting to the light. She blinked blearily as I packed a few items then pushed herself up to sitting.

  “Are we going somewhere?”

  “I am. You're staying here.”

  She pulled her knees up to her chest. “I'm not going with you?”

  I rooted around in the bathroom and came up with my ready-packed toiletry set. “No, you need to stay here. I won't be gone more than a couple of days.”

  She was still for a moment then jumped up and went to the closet. She had brought the rest of her belongings over from her bedroom in those weeks after the stabbing. She grabbed the ratty bag she had come with and began throwing items into it.

  I paused my own frantic packing, frowning.

  “What do you think you're doing?”

  “You're not leaving me behind,” she said, her tone a good imitation of my own. “You're not doing that to me.”

  “This isn't negotiable, Sophie.” I slammed shut the lid of my suitcase and began to dress. “You cannot be present for what's going to happen.”

  She stepped in front of me, hand on my chest as I tried to button up my shirt.

  “You cannot leave me.” She was fighting to keep her voice level. “You cannot abandon me here after … after that.”

  “Sophie—”

  “No, Ellery!” She escalated to yelling, and I took her in my arms in an attempt to calm her. She fought me hard, twisting free. She wasn't responding to my authority as she usually did. What was going on?

  “You can't reel me in, make these promises, and then abandon me for days like you did the first time. Were you even planning to contact me while you were away? Or were you going to forget again?”

  Her eyes brimmed with tears, but I put on the sternest face I could manage.

  “I would never forget you. But this isn't appropriate for you, Sophia. You're. Staying. Here.”

  She slapped me.

  I grabbed her wrist, instincts taking over, resisting my automatic reaction to bend it backward and break it at the last moment. Tears flowed down her face freely.

  “You said,” she whispered. “You said you would stay by me. You said there was nowhere I go that you don’t go too.”

  I forced myself to peel away my fingers one by one then reached to brush the tears from her face. I ran my fingertips over the soft bruises on her neck where I had bitten her, the marks on her hips from where I held her too tightly. My arousal grew at the sight of them. She felt it too, leaning into me and burying her face in my chest.

  “You've ruined me, Ellery.”

  I pulled my arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “I just broke you down a little bit. You'll come back even stronger.”

  I pulled back and held her face in my hands. I should never have turned on the light. It would have been better to pack and dress in the dark so I couldn't see the pain she was feeling. Something swelled in my chest, a desire stronger than what I felt for her already. I never wanted to cause her more pain. Because she was right. I couldn't leave her.

  I had made her a promise. No more deception. No more lies. I hadn’t wanted to bring her into this situation until it was over, but how could I leave her behind if it would cause her this much distress? We were still rebuilding an already precarious structure. If I left her here, after she commanded me not to, it would crumble. I couldn’t let that happen, not for the world.

  I kissed her wrist where I had bent it. “Pack and dress quickly. We need to hurry.”

  Without a word, she turned away and did as I said.

  She hurried behind me to the car but sat on the opposite end of the bench. I was too busy on my phone to do much to comfort her. She didn’t even want to hold my hand.

  The cool night air whipped her wild hair as we walked across the tarmac. She never once looked up at me or the plane as she made her way to a seat near the cockpit and stared out the window. Once we were airborne, I turned off the phone and sat across from her.

  Fuck, she was still crying. I longed to reach out and brush away those tears.

  “I'm sorry, Sophie. I shouldn't have done that.”

  She fiddled with her fingernails in her lap. The stewardess placed a glass of water in front of each of us and then departed. “I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at myself.”

  I leaned forward, elbows on my knees. “Why is that?”

  She still wouldn't look at me. “I can't believe I unraveled like that. I hit you. You said you were going away for a few days, and I completely lost it. It was ridiculous.”

  I reached out for her hand. She resisted me, but I managed to unclench her fingers. “Sophie, this was my fault. No, let me finish. I've been … training … you. I made you rely on me. And then I tried to leave you with no explanation and no indication of when I would be back. You've been isolated with me the past few weeks, and you weren't sure how to deal when I tried to leave. Your reaction wasn't all that strange.”

  She still wasn't looking at me. “You've seen this before. With other girls.”

  “Yes, Sophie. I'm not going to sugarcoat it.”

  I let go of her hand, which she snatched back to her lap. I pulled her chin toward me instead. “I never went back for any of them.”

  She was silent then dipped her face against my palm. “I'm sorry,” she said again.

  “Don't apologize.” I kissed her pale skin. The curve of her cheek moved beneath my hand as she smiled. “That's more like it.”

  Finally reassured, she relaxed back into her chair. We had a good tailwind and were riding smoothly among the clouds. “Where are we going?”

  “New York.”

  “What are we doing there?”

  I sighed. “We are not doing anything. Castel and I have something to deal with. I don't want you anywhere near it.” I leaned forward again, catching her hands. “Listen to me carefully, Sophie. Do not go anywhere outside our hotel without me. Do not talk to anyone, do not give anyone your phone, do not let anyone take your picture. This is important. Do you understand?”

  Something in my voice must have gotten through to her because her eyes widened farther with every sentence. I could see her weighing whether to push me to try and find out some more information, but then she decided to let it go. I sighed in relief as she nodded silently.

  “I need to talk to Castel,” I said, standing and kissing her. “Try to rest, okay?”

  She nodded and stared after me as I climbed to the back of the plane where Castel was bouncing his knee nervously. He scowled in her direction as I sat.

  “She shouldn't be here.” He was livid.

  “I'm not interested in explaining myself,” I said, hoping to cut off any argument. “Let's talk strategy.”

  I had hoped to stay awake for the flight, but Castel and Ellery kept their voices to a low murmur that eventually soothed my tired brain back to sleep. I woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs, opening my eyes to find a bagel and jam on the small table in front of me.

  “We don't have vegan food stocked on the plane yet,” Ellery said, making me jump. He smoothed my hair and my eyes fluttered closed again. I flushed with pleasure at the simple touch. When I opened my eyes again, he was smiling. “You won't have this problem in the future. And I'll get you something substantial when we land.”

  I rubbed my eyes while I mulled over his words. Every time we spoke, he made some reference to a future for us. His certainty overwhelmed me. He sat across from me, eating his breakfast with one hand, looking at me from time to time as I stretched out my cramped muscles and began to eat my own meager portion.

  This was so casual to him, eating breakfast with his lover on a privat
e jet that was about to land on the other side of the country. The longer I wondered about what would happen after we landed, the more distressed I became. I didn't even notice I was biting my thumb until Ellery reached over to gently pull it from my mouth. Tugging on my hand, he pulled me across the inches between us to sit on his lap.

  Surprising even myself, I leaned over and kissed him like I had that first time, so overwhelmed by gratitude and happiness. Only this time, my emotions bordered on panic and apprehension. Every alarm bell in my brain was telling me to close up shop and get out of dodge. But in accepting his promise to take care of me, I had also promised to let him. I couldn’t keep treating him like an enemy who was about to betray me. I had to trust he did want to take care of me. Not just for now, but for a long time.

  I could tell he wanted to pull away and try to talk to me, but I held his face, my hands like a vise. As if he realized I couldn't talk, he poured everything I was missing back into me through our mouths. His tongue probed mine, teasing, caressing my bottom lip as his hands drifted tighter around my back. His touch was security and surety, a quiet confidence I longed to share. I finally broke away when he held down a little too hard on a bruise around my hips. He smiled and pushed again but gentler.

  “I can't wait to get you alone and examine those more closely,” he whispered as he rubbed his nose against mine. The gesture was so cute if I had seen it done in real life I would have gagged, but pressed against Ellery's warm chest I melted into a giggle. “That's my girl.”

  Ellery's grip on my hand felt frantic as we stepped out into the street, even though I barely caught a glimpse of the world outside before we were swept into a car identical to the one that had taken us to the plane back home. He didn't relax when we got in the car, though. I was surprised at first when Castel slid in across from us, even more so when Tori sat next to him. Ellery raised his eyebrows.

  “That was fast,” he said.

  She nodded. “I paid someone an obscene amount of money to take their ticket and then paid someone else to change seats with me so I was at the front of the plane. Still, I can't believe we matched up like this. It's incredible luck.”

  “Let's hope that luck carries over,” Ellery said solemnly, and Tori looked at me. She turned on that perky smile immediately.

  “Hi, Sophie! I'm glad we get to spend some more time together, though it'll probably be pretty boring. I doubt we're allowed out of the hotel.”

  I looked at Ellery for confirmation. He was scowling. I looked back at Tori, whose grin faltered a hair. “Do you have to be so grouchy? We’ll have fun. Girl time.”

  “That’s what I’m worried about,” he muttered.

  “Can someone explain to me what's going on?” I said quietly.

  “Tori is here for you,” Castel said, “like I'm here for him.” He inclined his chin toward Ellery.

  I was perplexed. “Like … a bodyguard?”

  “Escort,” Castel said, and Tori slapped his arm with a little too much force for it to be playful.

  “That makes me sound like a hooker. I'm okay with bodyguard.”

  I took another look at the slight woman in front of me. She winked. “I'm tougher than I look.”

  “Whatever term you decide on, she's right,” Ellery said. He was looking at me like I had already done something wrong. “Stay in the hotel. Stay in your room.”

  “Should have stayed at home,” Castel grumbled, but Ellery silenced him with another piercing look.

  The rest of the ride to the hotel was filled with a tense silence, and I was anxious despite Ellery's thumb gently tracing over the top of my hand. I started to regret insisting so fiercely that I be taken along on this trip. Even Tori’s attempts to cajole the boys into conversation were met with dissatisfied grunts and scrunched eyebrows. They were two of a kind, these men. I made a note to ask Tori more about their history.

  At the hotel we checked into a large suite with multiple rooms, although Tori and Castel walked to one of their own across the hall.

  “Let me know when you're ready, Ellery.” Castel saluted casually as Tori slipped into the room ahead of him, claiming the larger of the two bedrooms in their suite.

  In our room, Ellery only took a few minutes to change into a fresh shirt and style his hair before shooting Castel a quick text on his phone. He wrapped me in one arm and kissed my forehead.

  “Stay here,” he said, his face serious. “Tori will be with you. Don't leave and don't open the door for anyone but Castel or me. Do you understand?”

  I nodded, my mouth open to ask a question, but he was already out the door, holding it open for Tori and then pulling it shut behind him. Tori latched both the locks on the door and then put one of her own on the handle. No one was getting to us that way.

  “Let's go shopping,” Tori said, pulling out her phone. “Not outside, of course, but I already contacted a few people here. My stylist is on his way with a rack of whatever is considered currently fashionable.”

  “With what money?” I asked, blushing. I was constantly reminded of Ellery's opulent wealth compared to my abject poverty, but Tori likely had no idea of my background. I was going to have to admit to a near stranger I didn't even have enough money to buy new socks.

  I was spared this embarrassing admission, though I felt just as flustered, when Tori looked at me like I was an idiot. “Ellery's. He's got you locked up in here for who knows how long. We're spending some of his money. I have a credit card.”

  The blush in my cheeks drained away, quickly replaced with ice. “I can't spend his money like that. I would never want to take from him without asking first.” Was this some kind of test he had set up to trick me into revealing myself as a gold digger? Maybe he thought I had asked to come along so I could get a free trip. Oh God, everything was going sideways. I never should have argued so much about coming.

  Tori’s eyes widened as she rushed to reassure me. “Sophie, it's okay. I badgered him about it when he called to tell me to get on a plane and come here. Said we needed something to do.” She smiled as I started to relax. “He usually throws me a couple thousand when we travel for more than a day or two, but for you…” she held up the card again and wiggled her eyebrows “…We've got a lot of room to play.”

  I plopped down on the couch, Tori joining me with a relaxed sigh, and she put her head on my shoulder. “You're a lucky girl. And he's a lucky guy. I thought you'd jump at the chance to spend some of his pocket change, but you protected him first. I'm not sure anyone's ever done that for him, except Vail.”

  She stiffened as soon as she said it, and I knew she'd let something slip. We both stopped breathing.

  “Who is Vail?” I asked, the words falling from my mouth like stones. I turned to look at her. She sat and bit her lip.

  “Shit, shit, shit,” she muttered. “Okay, you cannot tell him I said that. He told me to keep quiet, but I'm a little tipsy on first-class drinks. Forget I said anything? I'm sure he'll tell you all about it in time. He's going to eventually … if he brought you here. Please don't say anything about it.”

  She had clearly messed up by bringing up this Vail person. She looked absolutely petrified. It was a peculiar expression on her pretty face. I didn't get a chance to say anything, though, when there was a knock on the door.

  Tori's face changed immediately into a mask of joy. She ran to the door and flung it open after a thorough look through the peephole. A tall, thin man in a sharp suit walked through with a rack of dresses, pants, and skirts. He and Tori were already talking excitedly.

  I sat on the couch trying to remember how to breathe normally. There was no way this could be another woman. Though, I supposed, if he was in love with her then that would make me the other woman. But why would he talk to me the way he had if there was someone else? Why would he make me those promises?

  I was wrong to come here for so many reasons. Every passing moment reminded me I was an interloper in this world, a stranger who not only had no idea what she was doing but w
ho would never fit in no matter how hard she tried. This was not my place. I had no business in this hotel room, in this city, in this world.

  Tori was speaking to me, but I didn’t hear a word until she crouched down in front of me at eye level.

  “Sophie,” she said softly as the man who had brought the clothes looked over her shoulder with glaring interest. “Please don’t worry about what I said.”

  “I don’t belong here, Tori. That much is becoming clearer with every day that passes.”

  “In the years I’ve been working with Ellery, do you know how many women he’s brought cross-country with him and then given his black American Express to buy clothes with?”

  I peeked up at her as I blinked away the tears forming in my eyes.

  “None,” she whispered, shaking my hands between hers. “He doesn’t bring women into the office. He certainly doesn’t buy them clothes that cost more than my salary—and trust me, he pays me well.”

  I tried to force a smile onto my face. “But who is—”

  She cut me off with a shake of her head. “I’m sorry I upset you, Sophie. I can’t tell you any more. But please trust that you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t matter to him. You belong here just as much as I do, maybe even more.”

  I nodded. She was right, I had to trust him. I had to believe. I had come too far, and we had come too far together, for me to give up without talking to him about it first. I prided myself on being reasonable. I would continue to be so, for at least a few more hours.

  I let myself be pulled into a world of cotton and sequins and tried to forget this strange life for a while.

  Castel was right: I shouldn't have brought her. My attention was torn between the scene below us and the girl I had left behind at the hotel. I didn’t trust Tori not to spill some secret while we were gone. Despite her devotion to me, she had a soft spot and a loose tongue when it came to Sophie.

  Castel, on the other hand, zeroed in on the building and its patrons, noting guard locations and all the entrances.

  “They've got this place locked down, Ellery.” He dropped his binoculars, rubbing his mouth thoughtfully. “This is definitely not going to be a quick in and out. We'll have to play by their rules.”