Society Girls: Matisse

by Crystal Perkins

  “Anything can be a weapon,” I tell them. “We can do this if you help me. There are way more of us, and if I can get to a phone, I have friends who will come help us.”

  “Let’s do this,” the first girl says.

  * * *

  Kendrick

  Waverly and I are holding hands when we walk into the dining room in the building. It’s normally used for group dinners, when everyone is here and we can’t fit in an apartment. Tonight isn’t an official holiday, but I’m hoping we’ll get our freedom, so I’m considering it an unofficial one.

  Klas smiles when he sees her, and she squeezes my hand tighter. “Hello, my dear, you are looking well,” he says.

  “Hello.”

  “You aren’t going to give me a proper greeting.”

  “As per your training, I just gave you one.” I squeeze her hand, reminding her to not engage with him.

  “You were trained to be submissive to your master.”

  “You keep forgetting that I am the one who owns her now, not you.”

  “Kenyi, stop,” my father says, turning to Klas, his “friend.” “You know he has always been headstrong.”

  “Maybe he should’ve gone through my training as well.”

  My mother actually manages to look horrified for a moment before schooling her features back into a mask of acquiescence. “It’s too late for that now.”

  “Nice to know how you really feel about me.”

  “You are weak, Kenyi. We let you have your toy, but now you need to take her as your wife or give her back.”

  “How is that you can talk about people like they’re nothing but commodities? You have more than enough money, and you don’t need his business anymore. Please cut ties with him.”

  My parents own a successful hotel chain. One which Klas uses to host “retreats” for businessmen and politicians. He also takes women from them if he sees one he wants. He pays them well, but they really don’t need that money. The problem is, they want it.

  “You bought Waverly with that money,” my father reminds me.

  That was one of the first times I had to look at what was more important, and make a hard decision. I didn’t want to touch any of that dirty money, but when I graduated and they offered me so much, I knew I could save my best friend with it. I did it, and I would do it again. Thankfully, I’ll never have to.

  “I shouldn’t have had to. I’m going to say this again—she is a human being, and not a ‘thing’ to be bought and sold.”

  Faith brings out our dinner, and we all stop speaking. I know she’s heard everything, and I can tell she wants to kill right now. She’ll get her chance soon enough.

  * * *

  Matisse

  We don’t know when the men will be back, so we work fast. Those of us who are strong enough break the legs off the table. Others twist the blankets tight so they can be used as weapons, too. We’ve got the numbers, but I know they have guns. I don’t sugarcoat it to the women, but they still stand with me because life isn’t an option if they’re taken from here.

  All of the children are moved to the back of the container as the rest of us gather in the front. We’re all getting more anxious as time goes by. A few of the women have watches on, so we know the time. An hour passes, and almost another before the door opens.

  We charge, and easily take down the first man. I tore the spikes off my boots, and I stab the next one in the eye before he can react. I grab his gun and take down two others while the other women beat a third one down. I hear shots, and see two people fall. I take out the shooter as the women run like I told them to. I won’t leave the children, or the injured.

  I move towards the women who are down, but a shot hits the pavement in front of me. Then I’m hit in the right arm, just below my shoulder, but I can still shoot with my left hand, and I take the woman who shot me down with a bullet to the throat.

  I hold onto my arm as I get to the women. From what I can tell, they’re both going to be okay. One was hit in the side, but it’s a through and through. The other took a bullet in the leg, but it didn’t hit an artery, so I just tell her to apply pressure. There are no more shots fired, so I think we got them all, or the rest have run. I keep watch over the fallen women as I hear the sirens.

  We did it. I told them we could, but I was scared. More scared than I’ve ever been in my life. I don’t break until I see Stella and Ellie running towards me with the paramedics behind them, and then my tears start to fall.

  “We’ve got you, Teesy. You’re safe, and I’m so fucking proud of you right now,” Stella tells me as Ellie runs into the container to get the children out.

  Chapter 20

  Kendrick

  “I feel a little sorry for the two of you,” Klas says after we’ve finished eating.

  “We don’t need or want any pity from you. Our lives are going very well,” I tell him. Waverly has still not spoken again, because we all agreed she needed to play the part of subservient wife-to-be as much as possible.

  “But you never found that mythical society of women you were looking for.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I tell him, but we both know I’m lying.

  “You were never alone when you were at the universities, Kenyi. I monitored all your internet searches. I saw the chat rooms you entered, looking for the ‘Society’ as it’s called. If it were real, I have no doubt it would save you.”

  “It is real,” Faith tells him as Reina, Isa, and Ainsley enter the room with her.

  “Reina Corrigan. So nice of you to join us. For a moment I thought our chef might be serious.”

  “I assure you, Klas¸ we take our mission very seriously,” she says as she pulls out her gun.

  “I have people outside.”

  “Your men and women have been taken care of already.”

  “We could join forces, Reina. Think of how powerful we would be together.”

  “You have no power where I am concerned.”

  “In Africa, I am all powerful.”

  “That might have been true at one time, but you won’t be leaving this building alive,” Faith tells him. His eyes widen, because it’s obvious she’s not kidding.

  “You should also know that I have a team in Africa right now, liberating the people you’re holding against their will.”

  He smiles then, and I know there’s something else. He looks like he’s won. “Too bad they can’t save your girlfriend, Kenyi.”

  I’m out of my seat, and pulling him up out of his before I even realize I’ve moved. “Where is Matisse?”

  “Right about now, she should be on her way to the airport. She might be awake right now, or maybe not. Her online auction is set to start in the next few minutes.”

  I reach back and grab a knife, stabbing him in the leg, bypassing his artery for now. “You know I got a medical degree, right?”

  “Yes,” he says through gritted teeth.

  “I know every spot on your body where I can cause the most pain without killing you, and I also know how to kill you slowly. In addition to that, Reina here is quite possibly the most talented person in the world when it comes to torture, and I’ve been working with her.”

  “Maybe you’re not so weak, but I’ll die before I give you your girl. Do you worst.”

  I slam his face onto the table, grab another knife, and slam it between his upper vertebrae as he screams. I pick up yet another knife when he doesn’t speak, but Reina stops me.

  “She’s okay. She was shot in the upper arm when she led the group of women she was being held with in fighting against their captors, but she saved them all, and she’s okay. Stella’s following her ambulance to the hospital.”

  “You’ll deal with everyone here?” I ask.

  “Yes.”

  “Kenyi, please,” my mother says.

  “You chose this path, mother. Now you need to deal with the consequences.”

  “Kendrick?” Faith asks.

  “Go ahead,” I
say as I walk out the door, Waverly right behind me.

  I may have just signed my parents’ death warrants, but I won’t witness it. I remember the times when I was little, and we were a happy family. I also remember when they brought Waverly to me, and that makes me angry enough to know I’ll be at peace with their deaths.

  “I’m so sorry, Ken,” Waverly says as she gets in my car.

  “What do you possibly have to be sorry for?”

  “He took Matisse to punish you because you helped me.”

  “That’s on him, not you.”

  “He was going to sell her,” she says, and for the first time in many years, she begins to cry.

  “She’s safe, and so are you,” I tell her, placing a hand over hers.

  “Will you go back to Africa?”

  I nod. “I have to hire someone to take over the hotels, and I want to clear out the house before I sell it.”

  “You’re not staying?”

  “No. What happened over the last 24 hours has made me realize Africa is no longer my home.”

  “She’s not going to take you back easily. She may not even agree to see you.”

  “I know, but I have to see with my own eyes that she’s okay. Even if that means just reading her chart.”

  “She’s amazing. I can’t believe she convinced those women to fight back.”

  “I can. Matisse can do anything she sets her mind to, and she knows how to get her way.”

  After all, she got her way with me. Now I just need to convince her she wasn’t wrong in wanting us together.

  * * *

  Matisse

  Bullet wounds hurt. Especially once the adrenaline rush of a successful escape wears off. I know I’m lucky it’s just lodged in some muscle, but I want it out…like yesterday. Stella’s been keeping me company while we wait for my x-rays to come back, and see if I’ll need surgery, or if it can just be pulled out.

  “I would’ve pulled it out for you if the paramedics hadn’t been right behind me,” Stella tells me.

  “What if I started to bleed out?”

  “Please. You think I don’t know emergency field medicine? You’ll know it by the time your training is over, too.”

  “I knew that.”

  “But you didn’t know it.”

  “True,” I tell her with a laugh, which makes my shoulder shake, and fuck, that hurts.

  The nurse comes in, and smiles at me. “You know Kendrick?”

  What? “Yes,” I say warily.

  “He’s the best we have here. We all wish he’d come on full-time, instead of just a couple of on-call shifts.”

  “Okay.” What does that have to do with my arm?

  “He’s got your x-rays, and he said he’s taking care of you if you’ll let him.”

  “What if I don’t want him to?”

  “Did you not hear me say he’s the best? Plus, if you know him, you know how hot he is. He won’t give any of us the time of day, but we still look.”

  “Let him do it, Teesy. You know he’s the best. I’ll be right here.”

  “Fine. You can send him in.”

  A few minutes later, Kendrick follows her back in. He has his lab coat on, but I see a little blood on his shirt underneath. He looks tired, and sad, but I don’t want to deal with that right now. I just want this bullet out of me.

  “The bullet isn’t near anything dangerous, so I can remove it in here, and stitch you up.”

  “I’ll stitch her,” the nurse says.

  “No, I’ll do it myself.”

  She gives him an odd look and then winks at me. “He’s probably better at it than me.”

  “I am. Matisse, I’m going to inject you with some medicine to numb the area, but you’re going to feel some hard tugging, and there may still be some pain, even with the shot. If it’s too much, you tell me, and we’ll take a break.”

  He’s looking me in the eye, and I see the love in there, even though I don’t want to. “Okay.”

  Stella moves to the other side of the bed, and holds my hand as I feel the prick of the needle in my biceps, and the entire area goes numb. I feel the tugs like Kendrick said I would, but the pain is very minimal. No more than I’d feel getting a tattoo, so I don’t even flinch. Kendrick drops the bullet into a metal bowl, sews me up carefully, and wraps my arm in bandages and gauze.

  “There you go. I’ll prescribe you some pain pills, and give you some instructions on how to clean and care for your stitches. You’ll want to follow up with your primary care doctor in a few days.”

  I won’t be using the pain pills, because Audrey’s are better, and he’s my doctor, but I play along, and pretend I’m going to do as he asks. He tells me I need to stay overnight, and that my room is ready for me.

  “Would you like me to accompany you up, Matisse?” he asks.

  A part of me wants to say yes, but a bigger part reminds me he has a fiancé. “No thank you. Stella will take care of me.”

  “Of course. Have a nice night, and don’t hesitate to have me paged if you need me.”

  “Are you working tonight?”

  “Only for you.”

  “Go home, Doc.”

  “I’m trying to.”

  He leaves and I close my eyes, because I don’t want to cry anymore. An orderly comes in a short time later, and rolls me to my room for the night. Stella lets go of my hand during the journey, but she’s right there with me. I know she won’t go, and I’m happy to see a recliner for her in my room when we get there.

  Once I’m settled, and hooked up to all the machines, I finally feel safe enough to sleep. Not feeling safe scares me. I don’t want to be afraid to be out in the world again. And I can’t be, because I’m supposed to be a badass spy. I can’t stop thinking about what would’ve happened if I hadn’t convinced the women to fight back with me. Or worse, what if Audrey’s injection hadn’t worked? I might have woken up in a different country. I force myself to go to sleep so I can stop thinking about all of this. I’m safe right now, and that’s what I focus on as I drift off.

  Chapter 21

  Kendrick

  Being back in Africa is surreal. Just a few days ago, I was homesick, and now I can’t wait to leave. Finding a new CEO for the company wasn’t hard. One of the hotel managers was more than qualified, and Audrey heard from several of the women here that he helped them in every way he could, working against my parents and Klas. Their endorsement of him means more than his degree.

  I’m going to be here for a week, because I want to go to every property, and explain to them that business as usual has a new look. I don’t anticipate any pushback, but I’m ready for it if it happens. There really is only my way now. I won’t tolerate any of the things my parents encouraged.

  It’s time to face everything I ran from, including my childhood home. Walking through the door is bittersweet. For many years now, it’s been just a house, not a home. I have those good memories from when I was young, and Wave and I lived here for many years, but I have no other attachment to it. Selling it is the right option, but I want to take a few things with me to remember the good times. Waverly also asked me to bring a few of her things back for her.

  The men from the hotel here arrive with boxes, and I get started. I hired them to help me pack what I wanted. Once I’m done, the household workers will have first choice of anything that’s left. They’ll be starting at the hotel of their choice, because I don’t want them to lose their jobs without offering them something else.

  I spend time in each room of the house, opening drawers, cupboards, and secret places only the family knew about. There is cash stashed everywhere, and most of it will go to Reina and the Foundation to help set up the women and children they liberated. They deserve everything I can give them and more.

  I take a few pieces of jewelry from my mother’s large chest of baubles. I ignore her flashy new items, and instead pick out the pieces my grandmothers passed down. In my room, I pack two boxes of pictures, papers, art, and knickknacks.
I want some of my things for nostalgic reasons, and I want the art and little things for my apartment.

  I go into Waverly’s room last. I want to bring everything for her, but she specifically told me not to. I bring up her email, and pack up only what she asked for. This room was meant to be her prison once, but I helped her make it her home for a little while. I know she’ll be happy that others are going to be enjoying her things, but it’s still hard to leave it all behind. I know it’s silly, because she has the means now to buy her own stuff, but I felt pride in everything I could give her to make her situation a little easier.

  I walk out, and close the door, because it’s time for us both to move on and live in the present. The past, and the fear of the future, ruled us for so long, but now all we have to worry about is the present.

  We’re still in trouble with Reina, but not as much as we could’ve been. I’m sure Waverly is talking to her while I’m gone, and I’m scheduled to meet with her when I get back, but I’m not too worried. She said she understood why we did everything, but wished we’d come to her sooner so we could’ve avoided some of what happened.

  I know she was thinking of Matisse when she said that, because she’s what I think of every night when I fall asleep, and every morning when I wake up. Once things here are settled, it will be time for me to go after her. I just need her to listen to everything before she sends me away for good. Even if it doesn’t sway her, I need her to finally know everything.

  I wanted to tell her right away, but she wasn’t ready to hear anything from me while she was in the hospital, and that was the last time I saw her. I’m thankful she let me take care of removing her bullet, because I was able to make sure there were no complications, and also stitch her carefully so that her scar will be small. Not that the nurses at the hospital aren’t great—they definitely are—but they are also overworked. They would’ve been nice and careful, just not as careful as I was.

  As soon as I finished, and she told me I couldn’t go upstairs with her, I headed to the airport where one of the Corrigan jets was waiting for me. Reina and I knew I had to get here as soon as possible to set change in motion.

  “Are you ready to go, Sir?” one of the hotel workers asks me.