BULLY KING

by Huss, JA

  “You’re not out, Sophie.”

  All of us turn to see Cooper standing in the doorway.

  “Like hell,” Sophie says. “It’s my decision and I say I am.”

  “No, Sophie.” Cooper is calm. Like he officiates the selling of virgins all the time and this day is not turning into a crazy waking nightmare. “You’re here, whether you want to be or not.”

  “That’s not true!”

  But Cooper’s words come back to me. And I’m sure they come back to Sophie too. He won’t kick Mona out. Or her.

  “We’re allowed to leave!” Maddie says. “My dad said so.”

  “Yeah, you are, Maddie.” Cooper looks her in the eyes. “Because you’re only here to make things… interesting.”

  “What does that mean?” Natalie says.

  “Look.” Cooper sighs. He closes his eyes for a moment, then opens them and looks straight at me. “I don’t make these rules. I have nothing to do with this, other than I was ordered to be here with you all summer. And I was told to make sure that Mona and Sophie got through. That’s all I know.”

  “No,” Sophie says. “No. Michael and I have a plan! We’re leaving! We’re—”

  Cooper interrupts. “Michael can go wherever he wants. But you can’t. So he’s stuck here for two more weeks, whether he wants to be or not. Because he’s the one who just bought you.”

  Sophie is shaking her head. “I’m not coming back tomorrow. We’re leaving tonight.”

  “You can try to leave,” Isabella says from the back of the room.

  We all turn to look at her. She’s standing up. Not even weaving. Like she sobered up in an instant.

  “You can try,” she repeats. “I did. And look where I am now.” Isabella shakes her head and her eyes get all glassy. Like she’s about to cry. “They come get you. Just ask Cooper.”

  We all look at Cooper. He’s already crossing the room to Isabella. He takes her arm and then leans down and whispers something into her ear. She shakes her head no. And the tears fall out of her eyes. But when he tugs on her arm, she lets him lead her across the room and right out the door of the Glass House.

  We’re all quiet. Staring at the door. Wondering what happens next.

  We stay in the Glass House, just looking at our money. Sophie cries softly. She manages to stuff even more stacks on her person. She has garters on underneath her pink gown. So she clearly has not given up on the idea that she’s leaving tonight with Michael.

  But it’s a stupid, pointless act, because about thirty minutes later, Ax appears in the doorway and says we need to change into our bikinis.

  That’s it. That’s all he says. And he doesn’t look any of us in the eyes. Just spits the command out and leaves.

  The boys are waiting.

  It’s only ten in the morning and this day is far from over.

  I guess I know why Cooper told me to bring a bathing suit.

  He wasn’t interested in seeing me in a bikini. We were never going to hang out at the pool together.

  Nope. He just wanted to make sure Dante got his money’s worth.

  Victor approaches me while I’m waiting on the other girls to change into their bathing suits. “You OK?” His words are soft and filled with the right amount of concern.

  And I want to like him. I don’t think Victor is a bad guy. But he’s been a part of the summer rush for three years. Four, actually. This is the fourth time for him. So four times he has shown up here for money.

  I get it. It’s one hundred percent total bullshit. I am living at the height of hypocrisy right now. In fact, I’m worse. Because I wasn’t actually paid to come here. I was paid before I came here.

  It feels like an out right now.

  And I also get that Cooper’s father runs this shit show. So his offer of concern was dirty. I can’t quite fit all the pieces together yet, but I am starting to understand. Behind that clean-shaven face and well-coiffed silver hair, underneath that expensive suit and hidden behind that massive executive desk up in his high tower of an office—lives the worst kind of monster.

  It’s one thing to come face to face with the Devil and know what you’re dealing with. It’s quite another to realize the beast is stalking you from the shadows.

  And right now, Victor feels very much like one of the beasts stalking me from the shadows.

  So I smile at him. “Fine. Why? Something wrong?”

  “Cadee.” He kinda laughs my name. “Come on. Nothing is fine.”

  “Hey.” I shrug. “I got my pile of money. I’m good.”

  “It’s not yours. It’s Mona’s. They’re not going to let you keep it. They’re not gonna let you keep anything. Not until you’re all the way in. That’s how this works. Valentina can show off her diamonds all she wants, but they’re not really hers. It all belongs to them until she commits.”

  Commits. Hmm. What does that mean, exactly? She’s already in Fang and Feather. How much more commitment do they need?

  I wish I could ask Victor, but I just don’t trust him. I don’t trust anyone right now. “So? I can wait it out. You have, right?” I try to keep my tone neutral. But I don’t really succeed. And Victor isn’t a dumb guy. I don’t know what his real story is, but he’s not a nobody.

  Everyone at High Court is somebody.

  There’s just a very tall scale that measures them up. And he’s down at the bottom, for sure. But compared to me? Yeah. I’m somewhere down in the negatives.

  And he’s in, Cadee.

  He’s in ‘till the end.

  Or he wouldn’t still be here.

  He’s so close to that sweet prize, he can practically taste it.

  Victor’s eyes flash dark for a moment. Anger? Is that anger? Or shame? I can’t tell, but I’m gonna go with anger, because that’s the typical reaction to shame anyway, isn’t it?

  He doesn’t get the chance to answer because Valentina comes out of the dressing room. “Get back to work, Victor. Now.”

  He sucks in a deep breath and mutters, “Be careful, Cadee,” on the exhale. Then he turns around and goes back in the kitchen.

  I’m not sure if that was a warning or a threat.

  I guess I’ll go with both to be safe.

  “Don’t talk to him, Cadee.”

  I turn to Valentina. She’s wearing a bright yellow bikini with crystal patterns sewn into the bra. And her skin is brown to begin with, so she doesn’t need a tan to make that suit look great. Her long, black hair is piled on her head like Mona wears. Her makeup is perfect—her lips glossy and pink, eyelashes long and lush and cheekbones glowing. Her body is well-toned with curves in all the right places. She’s an athlete. Played baseball on the boys’ team when she was younger. And she’s smart too. I do remember that much about Valentina. Valedictorian her senior year at Prep. I was in the central gardens helping my father the day of the ceremony so I heard her speech.

  She is gorgeous in every measurable way.

  Before this moment I might’ve made myself feel better by imagining her as ugly on the inside. And three days ago, I’d have believed it.

  But she’s not. She’s just playing a game like everyone else. She’s… acting, I realize. It’s just a role she needs to master.

  “Why shouldn’t I talk to him?”

  “Because he’s dangerous. Just a spy. All the servers and cooks here, they’re all just spies. That’s how they earn their place. That’s how they earn their money. One wrong move, one misspoken word, and he will rat you out to anyone who asks. Don’t trust anyone.”

  “Not even you?”

  She doesn’t even blink. “Not even me.”

  “Thanks,” I say.

  “For what?”

  “The truth.”

  She smiles and slides her sunglasses down over her round, brown eyes. “We’re in this together now, Fugling. We’re all gonna swim or sink together.”

  I should be offended at the name. But she doesn’t say it unkindly.

  She says it… inclusively.
r />   I’m one of them now.

  Like it or not, I’m in.

  “So now what?”

  Valentina and I both turn to find all the girls waiting for instructions. Even Selina.

  Valentina lets out a long exhale. “Now… we do whatever they tell us.”

  “What?” Sophie is panicked. Her face is all blotchy from crying. And her skin is so fair, her hair so red, this is not a good look for her.

  “Don’t worry,” Valentina says. “They’re not gonna make you perform sexual favors.”

  “How do you know?” Elexa asks.

  “Because you have to consent to everything, Elexa. So if you suck Ivan’s cock, it’s because you said yes.”

  Elexa crosses her arms over her chest. She’s the only one wearing a one-piece. “I’m not going to say yes.”

  Valentina shrugs. “Then don’t. But everything has consequences. Ivan will get his say if you don’t make him happy. Trust me.”

  “What’s that mean?” Maddie asks. Like Sophie, she’s also on the verge of panic.

  “You’ll see. Can’t give away too many spoilers. Might ruin your summer. For two weeks you will do what they tell you or you will say no. And if you say no, they’re gonna remember it for the next challenge. So pick and choose your battles, ladies. Try to make friends with them. If you can do that, it will make this whole thing a lot easier.”

  They don’t believe her.

  Hell, I don’t believe her.

  “Listen,” Valentina says. “I get it. I was you three years ago. And do you know who bought me? Ax Olsen.”

  Everyone looks at the door that leads outside, even though none of us have x-ray vision and can see him on the other side.

  “Ax Olsen,” Valentina repeats. “Not quite a catch, is he?”

  Everyone but me and Selina agrees.

  “But he and I are on the same side now. I have his back, he’s got mine. And let me tell you something right now, Elexa. Ivan Turgenev is not a bad guy to have on your side. Take my word on that. Ax will fuck people up if they touch me. And if you play Ivan right, he’ll do that for you too. Try to make him happy. Smile today. Let him know you’re not gonna hold things against him. He’s playing his game just like you’re playing yours. Be on Team Ivan and he’ll take care of you, Elexa.” Then Valentina looks at me. “But I’m not going to give you the same advice.”

  “What?”

  “Dante?” She shakes her head. “He’s just bad. But Mona can handle him. She’s the only one who can handle him. So if you’re asking yourself why Cooper would throw you to the wolf like that? That’s why. Mona can take care of herself and you’re just her stand-in.”

  I swallow hard. The reality of what is happening suddenly sinking in. “How do you know she’ll be back?”

  Valentina frowns. “She just will.”

  Selina steps forward and smiles at them, folding her hands in front of herself. “Now. Let’s go out there and have some fun.” She waves her hand at the door, inviting us to go first.

  But we don’t move.

  “Come on, children,” Valentina says, clapping her hands to bring us to attention. “I’ll play babysitter for the day. And remember, Ax is here. They won’t cross him and he won’t abandon me.”

  Still, no one moves.

  So fuck it. I go first.

  If you’re going to meet the Devil, you might as well meet him head on.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE - COOPER

  Isabella stumbles most of the way through the woods as I lead her back to my house.

  “I don’t want to go.” She’s been whining this, over and over again, since we left the rush.

  “I don’t care. You’re drunk. There’s no point in staying out there. You’ll just… get sun stroke.” Sun stroke, Cooper? Really? I roll my eyes at myself. “I’ll make you breakfast and you can sleep it off in my room.”

  But when we get to my house, there’s no way I can get her up the stairs. And when I lead her over to the couch in the great room, she falls into the cushions sideways and kinda passes out.

  I step back and look at her. She is a fucking mess.

  But passed out I can deal with. Stumbling around drunk, shooting off her mouth?

  Nope. We’re not going there today.

  I still need to figure out what happened to Mona.

  When I go outside, I’m not sure if I should go to the front door or just hit up her patio. But in the end, it’s not my decision to make because the next thing I know one of her bodyguards is approaching me.

  “Can I help you, Mr. Valcourt?”

  Hmm. I don’t know any of them. Can say with one hundred percent certainty that I have never talked to one of Mona’s bodyguards. So I’m not sure how to approach this giant dude in a black suit. I finally decide on ignorance. “Have you seen Mona? She didn’t show up for rush this morning.”

  “Miss Monroe is inside. Follow me.”

  That was easier than expected. Never a good sign from my experience. But I follow him around to the front of the house and we enter together.

  Mona is right in front of me. Well. She’s in my line of sight, but sitting on a couch in the back of the house. In profile, she doesn’t look my way, busy clicking a remote.

  “Are you fucking kidding me, Mona?” I cover the distance of the hallway in twenty strides and then walk around the large, overstuffed brown leather couch to block her view of the TV.

  She doesn’t even acknowledge me.

  “Mona?”

  “I can hear you. You don’t have to yell at me.”

  “Where the fuck were you?”

  She pauses her Netflix surfing to gaze up at me. “What’s the point? I can’t do the drug test today anyway.”

  “We could’ve paid her off.”

  Mona scoffs.

  “We could’ve tried.”

  “I already talked to your father.”

  “You did?” Hm. “I tried to call him. He didn’t pick up.”

  “Yes. He mentioned that. Told me to tell you that he doesn’t want to be, quote, ‘bothered with any more summer rush bullshit while he’s on vacation,’ end quote.” Mona finally looks at me. And smiles.

  “All right.” I mean, he’s a dick and I hate my father a little more every day. But fuck it. I’m not gonna let Mona in on my daddy issues. “So. What did he say?”

  “He said I can take the drug test in two weeks. I’m under house arrest. Those meathead assholes you see behind me”—holy shit. There are a lot of meathead assholes lounging on couches and chairs on the far side of the room—“will make sure I behave. And he won’t be responsible for what happens to me if I don’t. I am a worthless piece of shit who thinks that this good life I’ve been provided is a right instead of a privilege. I’m also greedy, stupid, lazy, and will never amount to anything.”

  I nearly guffaw.

  “I’m glad you find that funny.”

  “Sorry. It’s just… I get the same speech all the time.”

  She huffs.

  “What the hell were you thinking?”

  She shrugs, then whispers. “I don’t want to do it.”

  “None of us want to do it.”

  “That’s not true. Dante wants to do it. Ivan wants to do it. I’m pretty sure Elexa wants to do it too. Natasha is a maybe.” She looks up at me. And maybe for the first time ever, I take a good hard look at my next-door neighbor. “Why can’t the Chairman just be happy with them?”

  “I dunno, Mona.” I say it quietly. Sympathetically. Because I get it. I don’t want to be here either. “Isabella is next door at my house.”

  “Why?”

  “She started drinking some time around five AM this morning. She’s passed out in the great room.”

  Mona laughs. “Oh.”

  “But I could carry her over here and—”

  “No. Thank you.”

  I just stand there. Unsure what to do next.

  “Have a seat if you’re staying.”

  I do sit. I probably shouldn’t
stay. But I’m not ready to go back yet.

  “How did the auction shake out?”

  “Cadee stood in for you.”

  Mona sits up straighter and covers her mouth. “Shit. Cooper, I’m sorry.”

  “Whatever. Ax and Lars are there to make sure Dante doesn’t do anything.”

  “Dante! Are you kidding me? Why would Dante buy me?”

  “He didn’t buy you, he bought her.”

  “Right. So how much did I go for?”

  Fucking Mona. “You didn’t go for anything. Cadee sold for one twenty-nine, I think.”

  “What the… what?”

  “Yeah. He really wants her, I guess.” I get a sick feeling in my stomach and then my head is pounding again. “So… I get that I’m just your asshole neighbor, and I’ve barely noticed you for basically your entire life. But it really sucks that you’re out for the whole two weeks because I was kinda counting on you, Mona.”

  “I’m sorry. I just… lost control last night. And it was nice to talk to Cadee. I like her.”

  I nod my head in agreement. Because I like her too. I walked away three years ago—chased her away, actually—and then didn’t think of her again until she bumped into me in front of the admin building. And now I feel like she’s constantly on my mind. And not only that, I feel somehow responsible for her involvement. Which means… now I have to fix it.

  “Mona. I need to make her leave.”

  “She doesn’t want to leave.”

  I sigh. “I understand that. And I understand that it’s not really my place to make that decision for her. But you of all people know how destructive this path she’s on is.”

  Mona looks at me like… like she feels sorry for me. And for a moment I start to get angry. Who is this girl—this troubled, angry girl who is the actual cause of this problem I’m trying to fix in this very moment? Who does she think she is?

  “Cooper, you can’t blame me for wanting to save myself and then in the same breath, you’re trying to help someone else. That’s not fair.”

  And didn’t I just say that to Cadee last night? Putting all the blame on me for what happened three years ago wasn’t fair.

  And she didn’t care. She was gonna blame me anyway. Just like I’m gonna blame Mona.