by Huss, JA
“It’s a vicious cycle,” I say.
“Yup. And it’s easy to be the victim. So much easier to just show up for summer rush and go along. Because fighting back is hard. If I really wanted to leave, Cooper, I’d have done it a long time ago. But then I’d lose everything, wouldn’t I? So I make excuses. I tell myself this is all I have left of my family. This stupid fucking house and these stupid fucking bodyguards.” Then she stands up and looks at them. “And I know I give you guys all kinds of shit. I probably drive you crazy on a daily basis. And hell, you all probably hate me by now. I don’t make it easy. But you—” She points at them. Looks at them. No. Reveres them.
All six, seven, eight… ten of them.
“You guys? You’re all I have besides this house. You’re the last thing left from my old life.” Then she looks at me. “And I’m not gonna give them up. I’m not gonna walk out on them because they haven’t walked out on me. And I’m not leaving this house. Ever. It’s mine. The only home I have. So fuck it. I’m staying. Maybe I never get away from here. Maybe they do own me. But as long as I have them watching my ass, I’m gonna fight back every chance I get.”
I look over my shoulder at her bodyguards and smile. “Maybe there is something you can do?”
I leave with five of Mona’s bodyguards and as we walk through the woods towards the Glass House, I feel a little bit less like a piece of total fucking shit than I did an hour ago.
But when I get there and see Dante trying to put his arm around Cadee as she skirts out of reach, it all fades.
I turn to the bodyguards. Mona told me their names. There was a Chad, and a Bing, and a Rock. The others, I lost track after that. “OK. Here’s what I need you to do. You see those girls out there? The ones with the guys hanging all over them?”
Each meaty head turns to look at the girls. Then they turn back to me. Don’t say anything, just nod.
“OK. You each get one. You treat her like she is Mona. You do not leave her side. Ever. When she goes to sleep, if she’s alone? You go stand guard at the door. If she doesn’t go alone, you refuse to give them privacy. One night. You do not let these girls out of your sight unless they’re sleeping alone. You understand me?”
They nod again.
“Tomorrow, the other five will take your place and we’ll trade off like that until I can figure out what the next step is. Today, you do not let those boys even think about touching those girls. There are five weeks left of this rush. Plenty of time for that later if they choose to stay. Now go. And remember—they are Mona as far as you’re concerned.”
I sigh as the meatheads turn away and walk over to the girls. And even though I didn’t assign them to anyone in particular, they all seem to know which girl they are protecting. There is no hesitation.
Cadee ends up with a huge white dude with a round, shaved head, a neck so thick I’m pretty sure his starched white shirt under his suit coat is custom-made, and a look of utter evil pasted on his face.
I cross my arms and hold my breath as he approaches Dante, who is still trying to get all hands-y with Cadee. He doesn’t even look at Dante. Simply talks softly to Cadee. Her eyes dart around until she finds me.
And then… she smiles at me, mouthing the words, Thank you.
I nod at her, then watch Dante for a moment. He’s angry. Trying to argue with big white dude who I am just going to call Meat for now, since I don’t know his name. But Meat simply crosses his arms and slides into an at-ease position, daring Dante to make a move.
Dante doesn’t. His gaze swings over to me and then he’s heading my way.
Ax and Lars slip in next to me and we wait for Dante’s outburst.
“What the fuck, Cooper? This is not how it’s supposed to be! A babysitter? What the fuck did I just pay for?”
“You got what you paid for,” I say calmly.
“She’s mine,” he growls.
“She is,” I agree. “But I’m running this rush. And I say these girls need a moment. They need to take a breath, Dante. So I’m giving them time to come to terms with things. None of the other guys seem to have a problem with it. So if you do, that just makes you an asshole.”
He looks around, wishing my words to be a lie. But I’m right. The other guys are kind of enjoying their new additions. Jamie and Michael both look a little relieved, from what I can tell. Hell, Ivan is pouring his guard a fucking shot of vodka as we watch and Roland is high-fiving his.
Dante looks back at me. Pokes me in the chest with his finger.
Ax makes a move, but I put my arm out and stop him. “Let Dante have his say, Ax.”
“This isn’t over. You might think my father is a nobody, but he has more power than you know.”
“That’s interesting,” I say. “Because I was given a list of people who must make it through this summer, Dante. And your name wasn’t on it. But Mona’s was. So…” I shrug. “Play your game well and maybe she’ll bring you along for the ride. But if you fuck with Cadee, I will cut your ass from this rush so fast, your father’s head will spin.”
Dante glares at me, then at Lars and Ax. “Fuck you guys. We’ll see who’s running things next year.”
Lars laughs. “Well, even if it isn’t us, it sure as hell won’t be you.”
“Walk away, Dante,” Ax says, shooing him with a flip of his hand. “We’re the ruling class whether you like it or not. Better just swallow that fact whole right now so you can digest it over the summer.”
I nod and smile at him. “We’re the bully kings. Accept it. Or don’t. I don’t really give a fuck. But this is your only warning, Dante. I won’t bother with another one.”
And I’m dead fucking serious about this.
I will not be responsible for another Isabella. Ever.
My first night of challenge one was a bloody disaster. And that isn’t a figure of speech.
It will never happen again. Ever.
Dante storms off, clearly unhappy. But I don’t care. I turn to Lars. Because I just got a very bad feeling about Isabella. “Go to my house. Isabella is passed out on the couch. Make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid.”
Lars looks at the woods. “Fuck.” Then he looks back at me. “No problem, Coop. I’ll take care of her.”
And he will too.
Ax and I watch Lars disappear into the woods. Then I turn to him. “You watch that Dante fuck. Hear me? I don’t care that she’s got a bodyguard. You stay with Cadee until Mona comes back.”
“And then what?”
I think about what Cadee told me. How Ax is sleeping in his boathouse because he doesn’t want to go home. “Then you stay with Mona too.”
He lets out a long breath. And I recognize relief when I see it. Then he claps me on the back and says, “You got it.” And walks off, calling out, “Cades, my sweet little sparkly tart. You wanna play strip poker with me? I like that suit. Fucking flashy, babe. But I like what’s underneath better.”
Dante almost loses his shit as he starts walking towards Ax with both hands out, looking like a total asshole and spewing threats to back him up.
I laugh. I can’t help it.
Because Ax—that dude lives by his own set of rules.
It’s why he’s on my team.
He’s an out-of-the-box thinker if ever there was one.
And between him and Meat, Dante hasn’t got a chance in hell of getting a moment alone with Cadee.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX - CADEE
I want to hate Cooper Valcourt. I really do.
I want to rail against him. And blame him. And hold him responsible for every bad thing that’s happening during the two-week period I spend wearing Mona’s surrogate shoes.
But I can’t rail, or blame, or hold him any more responsible than anyone else involved in this rush. Including myself.
Because we are just doing our best.
And while the bodyguards don’t erase anything that’s happening, they do make it tolerable.
Dante, however, is a resourceful little
fuck. And he takes advantage of every free moment when I’m not being watched. He uses every opportunity during our two weeks together to torment me and put me in my place.
And he does it well. I will give him that. He is an opportunist to the nth degree.
So here’s how challenge one shakes out for me.
During the day we spend our time at the pool. Or inside the Glass House. Sometimes we go other places in the woods—he took me to the tomb once. Thought he was going to take me inside, but the bodyguard had other ideas, and then Cooper appeared and shoved Dante back to the Glass House while I tagged along behind them.
But for the most part we just sit out at the pool.
Most of the boys are enjoying their partners. They get a game of chicken going and they play in the water. They swing mallets at croquet balls. Eat long, leisurely lunches. It’s actually not a bad time.
If you’re one of them.
Because Valentina was right. Maybe Ax gave the boys the same speech about making us partners, because those boys seem pretty happy. Even Sophie and Michael have a pretty good time. He holds her hand and serves her drinks and little finger snacks. He tells her she looks nice and they take long walks together. She still shows up every morning with a too-red blotchy face. But she settles. And eventually, sometime around noon, she even laughs at Michael’s dumb jokes.
Even Ivan and Elexa seem to be enjoying themselves. They don’t hold hands or take long walks—and Ivan is a little crude for my tastes—but Elexa didn’t sic her bodyguard on him when he slapped her ass as he asked for a beer on day three. She seemed fine with it. At the very least, she made her peace. And even though Ivan’s words aren’t pretty, I can tell he has respect for Elexa. He’s not going to push her to suck his dick at night—even though Elexa sent her bodyguard back to Mona on day five and I’m pretty sure she is sucking his dick at night now. Ivan and Elexa have come to an agreement that they are in this together.
Maddie and Natasha seem to tolerate Jamie and Roland. They don’t commit quite so much, but there is no drama.
Dante and I, however… yeah.
That’s drama.
He just has it out for me. Bad.
Every day there is an incident. Every day I’m thankful for that bodyguard. And every day Dante reminds me that I don’t belong and that when he gets to the end of the summer and finishes the first rite, he will show me—and Cooper, by extension—how much power he really wields.
I try not to roll my eyes at him, but most of the time I can’t hold it in.
However, I am a little worried about the words ‘first rite.’
Not for me. I’m not going to the final ceremony at the tomb with the other girls. That will be Mona’s job.
But Ax is always somewhere close by when we’re at the Glass House. So he and I have gotten close again. He mostly lives to make Dante’s life miserable and I don’t interfere. But every now and then he’ll take a break and sit next to me under one of the thatched-roof huts and start telling me things.
Things like how the boys have no idea what’s coming. And how Dante won’t make it to the end because Cooper hates him and will make sure of it, but even if he does, he’s in for a big surprise.
Little hints like that.
It makes me worry about the girls. Mostly Sophie. Because even though I thought I knew these High Court Prep girls, and didn’t think a single one of them possessed a gentle soul, I was wrong.
Sophie is gentle. She is sweet, and good, and just wants out.
And she is one of two who can’t leave.
I’m actually surprised that Maddie and Natasha don’t walk out before the end of the two weeks. They’re not invested. They do not care. I think they are happy with the booty they collected from the auction. I think the only reason they’re still here is because Jamie and Roland asked them to stay.
But if challenge two gets intense, I have a feeling they will bail.
Anyway. Dante tries hard, every day, to make me pay for whatever crime he thinks I committed against him.
His parents, as well as his brothers and sisters, are all home when we go there every night. They don’t seem to think that Dante bringing home a strange girl from an auction in the woods is a big deal. Or the bodyguard who comes with her.
The first night we had dinner with them and they asked me a lot of questions that ran the gauntlet between Who the hell are you again? and Why isn’t Mona here? None of which I answer because—wait for it—Dante has forbidden me to talk to his family. Told me I’m just a stand-in and no one cares what I think.
His parents don’t find that weird either. His mother doesn’t stop sipping her apple martini and his father—a slightly better-looking, but shorter and older version of his son—actually winks at him when Dante reveals my no-talking rule.
I can practically hear Mr. Legosi’s words of wisdom to Dante the night before the first auction when he had to beg for all that cash. You lay those rules down hard, son. Put them in their place right from the start.
Such a catch. I wish I could spend all my time with the Legosis.
Gag.
Of course, the bodyguard can’t be watching all the time. The one Cooper calls Meat—and Meat doesn’t mind, because he starts identifying himself to the Legosi security as Meat on day two—he is on top of shit. I’m talking spectacular.
But my other guard—the one Cooper calls Chatter because he doesn’t talk, the one who watches me from seven AM to seven PM—is not quite as invested as Meat. So Dante did actually corner me in the butler’s pantry on day seven while Chatter was taking a bathroom break.
I let him kiss me. Because Dante was counting on a fight. He’s so predictable. He wanted to catch me off guard and steal that kiss against my will. And I’m not going to give him that kind of satisfaction.
So I kissed him back. It was a long, slow, sloppy kiss that grossed me out and made me want to hurl. Luckily Chatter opened the pocket door with a bang and Dante backed away.
But he was smiling. Like he won.
He didn’t win. I threw the fight.
I’m not dumb. I had one week left and to be honest, that week went fine. He didn’t try to kiss me again. Though he did walk around naked in his bedroom apartment the entire last four nights.
I pretended to be impressed with his cock. But come on. I got a good long look at Cooper Valcourt’s big, fat cock that first night I stayed at his house.
Dante’s prick didn’t even come close to living up.
I expect Dante to make one more attempt to get to me the last day of the first challenge, so when he doesn’t, I’m surprised.
Did he learn his lesson?
Maybe.
Or maybe he just figured I’m not worth the trouble?
I’m really not, if you think about it. Mona is the girl he needs to worry about. I’m just the stand-in.
Cooper has been watching me all day out at the pool. He’s kept a wide distance from me the past two weeks.
I guess he figured Ax and Meat had the problem of Cadee Hunter covered. And Mona wouldn’t need all this coddling. Mona will have bodyguards on her all the time. I wonder if Dante’s parents will be able to ignore all ten of them?
This makes me laugh.
“What’s funny?”
I look up and shield my eyes to see Lars. He steps in front of the sun glare and creates a shadow. “Just thinking about Mona’s bodyguards at Dante’s house tomorrow night.”
“What makes you think she’ll be at Dante’s house?” He sits down next to me and slips his feet into the water.
“Won’t she?”
Lars shoots me a sideways grin. “No spoilers.”
“Hmm. Now I’m curious.”
“You don’t need to be, Cadee. You’re out.”
“Right. I’m out.”
“But you’re OK, right?” He pauses. Squints his eyes a little as he looks at me. “He didn’t bother you, right?”
“No.”
“And you’d tell me if he did?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“I’ve heard a rumor, Cadee.”
My stomach sinks. “What kind of rumor?”
“That someone…” He pauses, sucks in a deep breath. “Never mind.” Then looks away without asking.
There is a part of me that wants him to ask. A part of me that wants him to know what happened that year. If that’s the rumor he’s talking about. And what other rumor is there?
But that part of me isn’t brave enough to push the issue.
“I’m sure it’s just a stupid rumor,” Lars says. Then he smiles and looks at me again. “Forget I mentioned it. And anyway, you’re free now. Are you excited to go home?”
“Home? Hmm. You mean Cooper’s house?”
“It’s not a bad place to belong.”
I sigh, then flick water with my toes. “Yeah. I guess. I’m looking forward to it. At least I’ll get to see Mona again.”
“Do not smoke with her again.”
I laugh.
“Not because of you, Cades. It’s her. She can’t. So… if she asks you again, discourage her.”
“You act like we’re friends or something.”
“I think you are.”
I don’t reply, but yeah. I think we are too. Even though we haven’t seen each other since that night two weeks ago, I have been thinking about her a lot. Maybe even missing her.
“You wanna hear something funny?” I ask.
“Sure.”
“My original plan when I figured out I was going to be working at the Swan Camp—”
“Swan Camp?”
I laugh. “That’s what I called it in my head all these years. But when I first realized that’s where I was going I made up this big, grand plan to make Mona my best friend and together we were going to oust Isabella and take her Cygnus crown.”
“You? The queen?”
“Not me.” I punch him in the arm. “Mona was gonna be queen. I was just gonna—”
But I stop. Because I suddenly remember what my part of that deal was.
The truth. I wanted everyone to know the truth about what Cooper did at the end of his senior year at Prep.
“You were gonna what?” Lars pushes.