Sacrifice of the Pawn: Spin-Off of the Surrender Trilogy (Surrender Games Book 1)

by Lydia Michaels

  “A guy?”

  “I can’t talk about it with you. I’m just going through something right now. I’m sure I’ll be fine once I’ve processed.” No idea how long that would take.

  His voice was frighteningly calm. “Did this guy do something to you, Isa?”

  “I can’t—”

  “Did someone fucking hurt you? I want the truth and I want a name—”

  “Lucian, it’s not that sort of situation.”

  “You aren’t hurt then?”

  She lowered her head, her pain a steady ache in her bones. Some wounds hurt more than physical bruises.

  She shut her eyes as the tears gathered. “I’m heartbroken.”

  He let out a slow breath and when he spoke again his voice was gentle. “I’m coming over. I’m in the city anyway. You’re going to talk and I’ll listen.”

  Her face pinched as she silently wept. There would be no stopping him, but even he wasn’t strong enough to pull the truth out of her. It was then she finally understood so much of her pain was humiliation. She’d wasted three years of her life chasing a fantasy.

  Lucian arrived—with pizza—about forty-five minutes after they hung up. As thoughtful as it was that he came all this way, she still couldn’t confide in him.

  What good would it do for him to know his best friend’s father put her in this situation? Sawyer wasn’t even fully to blame. She’d known what she was getting into. He told her his feelings on love and relationships the first night they’d slept together.

  But Lucian proved to be a good distraction anyway. They watched a movie, ate, and he even made her laugh a few times, telling stories about some of his college friends.

  When Toni needed a ride home, he volunteered to go get her. After their sister went to bed Isadora was hardly able to keep her eyes open.

  “Who was he, Isa?” Lucian asked, his focus appearing to be on the television.

  Leaning into the arm of the sofa, she closed her eyes. “I can’t tell you.”

  “Why?”

  She peeked through her lashes, appraising the tense set of his jaw and the tightness of his fist resting on his knee.

  “Because you have that crazy look in your eyes and I don’t want you to hurt him.”

  “He hurt you.”

  “I let myself get hurt. I was stupid.”

  He glared at her. “Don’t call yourself that. He’s the one who let you get away.”

  She silently chuckled. “You’re very sweet when you want to be, Lucian.”

  “I’m not saying it to be sweet. I’m saying it because it’s true. That guy must be a total moron if he didn’t see what a catch you are. He did you a favor. You’ll be better off with someone who appreciates you.”

  She laughed without humor. “He’d agree with you there.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Don’t worry about it. Thank you for coming over tonight.” Her eyes were getting too heavy to keep open.

  Feeling herself nod off, she sucked in a breath and groggily jerked awake only to find Lucian draping a blanket over her.

  His mouth curved in a tender smile as he brushed a hand over her hair. “Get some sleep. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  She shut her eyes, his care blanketing her more than anything else. “Love you…”

  “Love you, too.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Any little girl can wear a tiara and call herself a queen. Becoming a queen is more than jewels. It’s a behavior that takes a lifetime to master.”

  ~Antoinette Patras

  The following day, Isadora made a difficult, but empowering decision.

  She wasn’t going to be sad anymore.

  Sawyer might be wrong about some shining knight sweeping in and offering her the perfect future, but what if he was right? Regardless, she wasn’t going to live out her days waiting for someone else to come along and rescue her.

  She was responsible for her own happiness and that attitude needed to start now, because she couldn’t stomach the weak-willed person she was becoming.

  She was going to be a strong, independent woman—with or without a man by her side.

  First step in finding one’s independence was learning to lean on oneself. She made an executive decision that would force her to take on more responsibilities—and called her brother.

  “I think Lucy should start working at the country house for you. It’s vacant and could probably use some attention.”

  “It’s vacant, because I’m never there, Isa. I don’t need a maid.”

  “I don’t want to lay her off, Lucian.”

  “Why would you?”

  “Because she’s no longer necessary here. I’ll keep Louis on as a driver as needed , but Lucy only does chores I should be doing, or Toni, for that matter. It’ll do her good to have to vacuum her own bedroom or run a load of laundry now and then.”

  He laughed. “And you actually expect her to do those things?”

  “Yes. I’ll be doing them as well. There’s no reason why we can’t take care of ourselves.”

  She was tired of trusting others with her wellbeing. And she didn’t want her sister repeating her mistakes by relying on other people to make her happy.

  “You do realize how ridiculous that sounds, don’t you?”

  “It’s ridiculous that the other day Toni actually asked me why some people don’t have cars. She has no concept of how privileged she is and I refuse to let her grow into some pampered heiress.”

  “She is an heiress.”

  “Well…” She couldn’t argue with the truth.

  Why was it fine for Lucian to be so independently driven, yet when she wanted the same for her and her sister he called it ridiculous? That was exactly the sort of mindset she wanted to change in this family.

  “Do you want Lucy or not?”

  “Fine. Tell Lucy to take a ride over to the house and make a list of what she’ll need to get settled. Have her email it to me.”

  And so it began. Her decision to take charge of things around the house was the first step in her Become More Independent Plan .

  She was accountable for her. That meant figuring out how to be self-sufficient.

  There were some bumps. The first time the vacuum clogged she lost her shit, smacking the contraption with a hanger when she couldn’t get it to work. But she didn’t give up. She had a drink, dismantled the thing, and eventually got it working again. It didn’t matter that it now made a hideous shrieking sound when it ran. She fixed it.

  Toni was outraged by her new list of responsibilities, to say the least. She started wearing clothes she hadn’t tried on in years, expecting that once she wore through her wardrobe Isadora would take her shopping for more clothing. Either that or they’d call Lucy back to wash and iron the soiled garments.

  Isadora did no such thing.

  Isadora didn’t have an ultimate goal in mind, but every day she looked for clues about herself and focused on new objectives that built back her pride. Twenty-six years old and she was finally growing up. She was moving on to better things—happier things. If there was something she didn’t like about herself, she worked to improve it.

  If she was going to be the sort of women who didn’t have a man in her life—a strong probability—she needed to acquire more skills. Things were always breaking around the house and, without the servants, she either had to teach herself to fix items or hire contractors, which brought her to another issue.

  Financial stability was something she grew up with, but didn’t know how to cultivate. It was a point of embarrassment that Isadora wasn’t sure how much money she actually had within her grasp. Bonds, stocks, and a trust fund that paid out like pensions, it was all very comforting, but nothing she could take credit for earning.

  She wasn’t wasteful, but she certainly wasn’t frugal. That was going to change.

  She put herself on a strict budget and banked the majority of her monthly allowance from her trusts in a private account earmarke
d for her future. One day she intended to own this house and know that no one, not even her father, could threaten her sense of security.

  By fall, she had tightened her wallet so much she actually saved a handsome sum. She wanted to celebrate, so for Toni’s birthday she treated her sister to a day in the city.

  They made reservations at the Patras Hotel restaurant and were given the royal treatment. Yet she had the satisfaction of only spending what she could afford. Demanding a bill confused the hotel staff, but she was sticking to her principles. This was her gift to Toni, not their father’s.

  Isadora enjoyed their time so much, she decided to reserve a penthouse suite and stay the night, scheduling a day at the spa for both of them the next morning.

  Lying in the overstuffed hotel bed wearing Patras bathrobes and pigging out on ice cream sundaes while watching cheesy romantic comedies, Isadora savored the fact that her sister was growing up and they could now enjoy some of the same things.

  “You should have let Daddy to treat us to dinner and dessert,” Toni commented, sucking the fudge off her spoon.

  Isadora studied her sister, wondering how long it would take for her to understand sometimes pride was more valuable than money. “I can afford to treat you without his help.” Patras was not cheap, but it was a bittersweet sort of expense.

  “Doesn’t spending that sort of money go against your whole mid-life crisis thing you have going on?”

  Isadora scoffed and gave her sister a playful shove. “Brat! I’m not having a crisis and you have to be middle-aged to have a mid-life anything.”

  “Then what are you doing? The other day I saw you reading a book about plumbing.”

  “The trap in the sink was clogged!”

  “So call a plumber, Isa. Reading a book about outer space doesn’t make someone an astronaut. The minute you start trying to fix things they’re going to really break.”

  “It was a clogged drain, not rocket science, Toni. Plumbers are expensive.”

  “Oh, my god.” She held up her hand as if she’d heard enough. “Reality check, Isadora Patras. You can afford a plumber!”

  “It’s not about the money. It’s about taking care of myself, about dignity and pride. So, if you could stop acting like I’m some sort of freak for trying to fix our kitchen sink I’d appreciate it.”

  Her sister’s expression softened and she studied her for a quiet moment then nodded. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to make fun of you.” Then she smirked. “But don’t expect me to strap on a tool belt.”

  Pulling Toni back to the center of the bed, Isa pursed her lips. “I won’t. I couldn’t fix the stupid drain anyway. We don’t own pliers and the slip nut thingie was on too tight.”

  Toni laughed until she snorted. “Did you call a plumber?”

  “He’s coming out on Tuesday,” Isa mumbled.

  She put her empty ice cream dish on the table and shut off the bedside lamp, snuggling deeper under the covers. Toni did the same.

  A new movie started and they fell into a comfortable silence. Isadora was just starting to doze off when something brushed her fingers.

  Toni’s hand closed around hers under the covers and squeezed. “Thanks for today, Isa. It was a perfect birthday.”

  Glancing at her sister, she tried to find her voice. Her gratitude was a gift in itself. “You’re welcome.”

  It was the first time Isadora allowed herself to honestly believe they might someday be best friends. The world was a big, often lonely, place. As independent as she hoped to eventually be, she never wanted any of her siblings to stop depending on each other.

  Lacing her fingers with Toni’s, she squeezed back. “Get some sleep. We have to get up early for our appointment in the morning.”

  The next day, Isadora awoke with the intention of getting a manicure and a massage at the salon, but Toni convinced her to get a haircut, too. It was a big change since she’d kept the same boring length for the last decade.

  Nine inches of her waves were gone, replaced with a long bob that brushed her shoulders. The new cut gave her a more sophisticated look, according to the stylist. In the end, she was beyond pleased.

  “We should buy you a new wardrobe,” Toni said, as they stepped onto the tasseled runner exiting the hotel.

  “I don’t need new clothes.”

  “Oh, come on, Isa. Your clothes are old. Every new look deserves a few new outfits. Unless you’re afraid someone might mistake you for a twenty-six year old.”

  She gave her sister a sidelong glance. “You’re quite the little smart ass today.”

  “Is that a yes?”

  Isadora sighed. “I’m trying to be more prudent with my spending.”

  Toni chuckled, but bit her lips so as not to comment. Isadora could see how ridiculous her sister found her words. Maybe she was being a little extreme.

  “Fine,” Isa agreed. “But we’re not going crazy.”

  Toni clapped with excitement. “This is going to be so much fun!”

  They visited multiple boutiques on the main line of Folsom and acquired so many packages she wasn’t sure they’d fit in the car. So much for not going crazy, but Toni could be a persistent little bugger.

  After shopping, they ended their retail excursion with a late lunch at a small café outside of the historic district. Isadora was laughing as her sister did an unflattering impression of her gym teacher when a vaguely familiar voice interrupted them.

  “Isadora?”

  She turned but didn’t recognize the handsome man hovering beside their table.

  Seeing she couldn’t place him, he smiled. “Tyrian, from Ian and Vivian’s wedding. We danced together.”

  “Oh, Tyrian! I’m so sorry. It’s been a long day… My brain…” She also might have remembered him if he’d called .

  “I was hoping I’d eventually run into you. The number you put in my phone is out of service.”

  She frowned. “What? How could that be?”

  He pulled out his phone and pressed a few buttons. Flashing her the screen, she read her name and heard the recording that played when a phone number didn’t work.

  “Oh, my gosh. I probably typed it in wrong.” It hadn’t been the best night and she’d been in a rush to leave.

  He smiled, appearing to accept that it was an honest mistake. “How have you been?”

  “I’ve been … good. And yourself?” She was definitely doing better than she’d been a few weeks ago.

  “No complaints.” He glanced at Toni and Isadora remembered her manners.

  “This is my sister, Antoinette. Antoinette, this is Tyrian. He’s a friend of Vivian’s husband’s.”

  “Hi,” her sister chirped, smiling widely.

  “Nice to meet you.” He turned back to Isadora. “I’m still hoping for the chance to buy you dinner. Are you free this week?”

  Her cheeks pulled tight, his charm warming her soul. “My schedule’s pretty flexible. When would you like to go?”

  “How about next weekend?”

  She ignored Toni’s gawking. “That would work. Why don’t you call me and we’ll figure out the details?”

  “Definitely, but I’ll need a working number.”

  She flushed as he handed her his phone. Sure enough there was a five where there should have been a seven. She fixed it and passed the phone back to him.

  “I’m sorry about that.”

  “I’ll let you get back to your lunch. I’ll call you soon.” He turned to Toni. “It was nice meeting you.”

  As he walked away her sister continued to stare, her mouth agape with a wide smile, eyes unblinking. “Who. Was. That ?”

  Just then Isa’s phone rang. She dug it out of her bag but didn’t recognize the number. “Hello?”

  “Just checking,” Tyrian said.

  She glanced out the window and there he was, calling her from the sidewalk. She smiled like an idiot. It was sort of adorable. “Now I’ve got your number, too.”

  He had a smile that triggered someth
ing jittery inside of her, something nice. Eyes on her, he winked and a small dimple formed in his cheek. “I’ll call you tonight.”

  “Okay.” Feeling Toni’s gaze she ended the call and typed his name into her contacts. “Stop staring at me.”

  “That was like something out of a movie! He’s, like, super hot, Isa. Are you really going to go out with him?”

  She shrugged, her face burning up. “If he calls.”

  “He already did! He’s totally into you!”

  “You think?”

  Stuff like this didn’t happen to her. She covered her face with her palms and hid an uncharacteristic smile as she stifled the urge to squeak like a teenage girl.

  When she had herself under control, she peeked through her fingers at Toni. “You really think he’s into me?”

  “Um, yeah .”

  Isa glanced out the window again, but he was gone. Her cheeks pulled into another smile and she looked at her sister and giggled. “I have a date this weekend. An actual date!”

  The rest of their lunch was spent mentally reviewing their purchases and deciding what she should wear on said date.

  Tyrian called and showed great initiative. He orchestrated everything down to the reservations. All she had to do was be ready on Saturday by seven.

  It was strange having a man pick her up at home in front of Toni, but the more they bonded over the experience the more Isa realized how much hiding parts of her personal life had cost their relationship. Her sister took great pleasure in helping her get ready and even did her makeup, though Isadora refused to wear the bright lipstick she selected.

  “It looks pink.”

  “It’s more of a frosty nude, Isa. It’s sexy.”

  She stared at the lipstick, hating that certain colors didn’t register with her eyes. Her world was awash in faded blues and browns, but she rarely thought about her vision, having been colorblind since birth. The only time it really bothered her was when she was trying to look nice.

  In moments like this, she had no choice but to trust Toni’s judgment. “You swear it’s not too much?”