by B. B. Hamel
I didn’t take it, but I followed him back into the hall.
Back to that conference room.
Back into the blackest pit.
14
Darren
The room was warm when we returned. Or maybe that was only Winter still lingering on my lips.
That girl hated me. And she wanted me just as much.
It made my blood boil and rage.
The way she resisted her own desires drove me wild. It was beautiful, watching her struggle against herself, only to finally give in to the pleasure she so desperately needed. I wanted to give her everything, to make her my queen, my wife, my future, if that meant I’d get to drive her wild every night of her life.
I wanted that contradiction, that insane need.
I wasn’t lying when I said Winter would be good for me. I needed something to smooth out my rough edges and I thought having a wife could do that.
But Winter herself was perfect. Clever, intense, fearless.
Most people would’ve fallen apart a thousand times already.
Not my Winter.
Old Bern looked agitated. He shifted in his chair, scowling at the floor. Kaspar stood nearby, inspecting a cigar. Maeve said with her back straight and nodded as we approached.
Winter lingered nearby, but she didn’t join the circle.
That wasn’t for her. Not yet, at least.
I took a seat across from Maeve and looked from her to the others. Old Bern scowled at me.
“We came to a decision,” Maeve said, looking blank. I’d never been able to read her, not once in all these years.
“And what’s that?”
“I don’t like it,” Old Bern said. “I want to make that clear. I don’t like it one bit.”
Kaspar made a face. “You don’t like anything except the smell of your own body odor, Bern.”
Old Bern turned red but didn’t reply.
Maeve’s lips flattened. “We’ve decided to give you more time under one condition.” She looked toward Winter. “You make good on your promise to marry her.”
Winter released a strangled yelp but didn’t run away.
Strong, gorgeous Winter. And to think, I hated her when I first met her.
Daughter of a rich, arrogant bastard, living in some squalid little beach town, hiding away from her destiny.
Now, I knew she was so much more.
“I accept those terms.”
Kaspar stepped forward. “She has to accept them too. I’m not interested in you forcing the girl into some sham then disposing of her later.”
I glanced back at Winter. She was pale and her hands trembled. “Give her time to think about it.”
“We don’t have time,” Maeve said. “I agree with Kaspar. Winter has to agree, or else it’s worthless.”
All eyes turned to Winter.
She didn’t move.
Her mouth fell open and I could only guess at what bubbled up through her brain. There must’ve been a myriad of reason why she should refuse. I kidnapped her, ruined her life, teased her mercilessly, treated her like I owned her.
But also an equal number of reasons to say yes.
And god, I wanted her to say yes.
I never wanted a wife. Marriage seemed like a mistake. All of the older Oligarchs were married, and they were all a bunch of selfish, miserable bastards that took everything the world had to give and left trash behind. If that was what happened when the powerful got married, I didn’t want any part of it.
But I realized I placed the blame in the wrong spot. My father was a stodgy, obsessive asshole, and so were all the other men of his generation. Old Bern was the last of them and he was the most liberal of that group. By comparison, the new guard was downright revolutionary.
Marriage didn’t mean misery. It didn’t have to—not if I married the right person.
And Winter was the right person.
Smart, gorgeous, resilient, well-connected. She’d be such an asset and so much more.
Only she had to want it too.
“I don’t know.” Her voice was tiny, scared. This was too much too soon after the fight. She was still barely over the shock of what happened earlier.
“We need you to decide,” Old Bern said, glowering. “We have to speak on behalf of the others and whatever we decide now will be binding. No dithering about.”
“I don’t—” She stopped herself, shook her head. “I don’t know what to do.”
“Think, girl.” Old Bern practically growled at her. “You really want a life with this man?”
“Oh, go choke on it, you ancient withered husk of dog shit.” Kaspar stepped into the circle, his fierce eyes pummeling into Winter. “Marry him and be done with it. You’ll never have another chance like this.”
“What if I refuse? Will you kill me?”
“No reason to let you walk away from this room alive.”
Maeve sighed. “Nobody’s going to kill you. Do you hear me, Kaspar?”
He shrugged, checked his nails. “I hear you, but I don’t agree with you. Why let the girl live if she doesn’t know what’s best for her?”
“Enough.” Old Bern slapped the arms of his chair. “Call me old fashioned but I do not believe in forcing women into marriage. There must always be a choice. Now, girl, do you want to marry Servant or not?”
“No, I don’t.”
The words were like a dagger to my guts. I leaned back in my chair, blinking rapidly.
Kaspar would kill her. Old Bern was going to give me a self-satisfied grin. All my plans would be put on hold.
Except Winter wasn’t finished speaking.
“But I’ll do it anyway.”
Old Bern shoved himself to his feet, struggling slightly to rise. “Good enough for me. Maeve, you know what to do. I wish I could say it was a pleasure, but it wasn’t.” Bern nodded to me then ambled off, sparing one final pitying frown for Winter before disappearing through the doors.
Kaspar wasn’t far behind. “Good choice. If I were you, I would’ve agreed to marry him too.” He chewed on the end of the unlit cigar and followed after Old Bern.
Maeve didn’t move. She looked at me and tilted her head.
“This doesn’t get you out of trouble. It’s only buying you time.”
“That’s all I need.”
“Roman got time too, you know.” She rose as if pulled by strings. That woman was a nightmare, a monster from another world. “But I suspect his reprieve is running out.”
“Do the others agree?”
“Some do, some don’t. You know how these things happen.”
“I’ll make their decision for them.”
“I suspect you will.” She looked over to Winter and almost smiled, or at least smiled as much as she ever did. “Good luck.”
Winter said nothing as Maeve drifted out.
I beckoned for her to join me. She sat down heavily in the chair Maeve had been in just a moment earlier and stared at the boxes of cigars arrayed on the coffee table.
“What do we do now?” she asked softly, almost whispering.
“You just told three of the most dangerous people in that world that you were going to marry me. I think I’d better buy some rings.”
She turned green and looked like she might be sick.
I laughed as I stood and went to find Anthony. I’d have him make arrangements.
I wondered if Winter would look good in white.
But of course she would. That girl would look good in anything.
15
Winter
I didn’t remember much about the drive back to Servant Manor.
Darren didn’t ride with me. He was in a different car dealing with business. I sat with a quiet guard that stared out the window the whole time, probably thinking about the attack earlier that day and how close we’d all come to getting killed.
Probably wondering if any of this was worth his life.
It wasn’t. I knew that now.
But I was too far gone
to care.
I told the Oligarchs that I’d marry Darren. Maeve thought it was a good idea—not for Darren, but for me.
I’d have access unlike anything I’d ever dreamed about.
I didn’t want it. Didn’t want any of it. Not the nice house, the family, the money, the control.
I wanted my freedom.
But that wasn’t an option.
I drifted up into my room when we got back. Darren let me take off the GPS tracker and said nothing when I shut my door in his face.
I collapsed into bed and tried to sleep, but as soon as I began to drift, a knock at my door pulled me back.
“What do you want?” I groaned. “Can you just leave me alone?”
“If this is a bad time, I can come back.” Penny’s voice.
I sat up on my elbow. I should ignore her. I knew the rules.
Screw the rules and screw Darren.
He needed me now, which meant I had some sway.
“Come in.”
Penny slipped inside and shut the door behind her. She looked concerned, lips tugged down. “I heard what happened.”
I wasn’t sure which part she meant. “It’s been a weird day.”
She sat at the end of the bed. “I know it probably doesn’t help, but getting ambushed in the middle of the road isn’t exactly a normal thing around here.”
“I hoped not. I figured you’d all be dead by now if it were.”
She didn’t smile. Only looked down at the comforter and awkwardly pulled at it. “I haven’t left the manor in a couple years.”
I sat up straighter and tried to process that. “Seriously? You haven’t left here in two years?”
“I’ve been around town. Little local trips, but never for long. Darren doesn’t want any of us straying far. He says everything we need is right here, and in some ways, he’s right.”
“What about your friends?”
She laughed and blinked at me. Her eyes were wet with tears. “Friends? I don’t have friends.”
“Oh, Penny.”
She waved me away and wiped her face. “Sorry, I’m being so selfish and dramatic. It’s just that, Darren’s obsessed with keeping everyone safe, but sometimes he takes it too far. I don’t want that to happen to you, too.”
“Can’t you talk to him about it? I mean, he’s your brother. He doesn’t own you.”
“But he runs the family. It’s hard to do anything without his approval, not when everyone around me looks to him for approval.” She stood up and paced back and forth. “It’s not as bad as I’m making it seem. I could go places if I wanted to, but I really don’t. What happened with Liv scarred all of us and I don’t think anyone ever got over it.”
“Liv was your sister?”
She stopped walking and looked toward the windows. “Older sister. We were close though. She was my best friend.”
“What happened to her?”
“She died. It’s funny though, we all blames ourselves, but I don’t think it was anyone’s fault.”
I wanted to press her for details, but she went quiet and drifted away toward the fireplace. I got the sense that whatever happened to Liv was the engine that drove everyone in this place, but asking how she died seemed so crude.
And anyway, I’d had enough death.
“I’m sorry that happened to you. Darren hasn’t talked much about it.”
“He wouldn’t. It changed him the most, though. Before Liv, he was outgoing, carefree. Partied a lot, caused trouble. But then she died and he retreated into himself, got real obsessed with his stupid fight with Roman, and now here we are.”
I chewed on my cheek. There were so many questions I wanted to ask and they all jockeyed for position, but I decided to blurt out the first one that came to mind.
“What happened between them?”
She laughed and shook her head. “God, it’s all so fucked up. Even hearing that question makes me clench up. Darren made everyone swear a long time ago never to talk about what happened with Roman, but it’s important, right? You’re in the middle of it.”
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“It’s all because of Anthony.”
I blinked rapidly and leaned back against the bed. “Anthony? Your younger brother?”
“That’s right.” She walked over and sat next to me. Penny was small and seemed so vulnerable and frail, like talking about this was a weight that pressed her shoulders down and threatened to crush her entirely. “Have you ever noticed that he doesn’t look like us?”
“The eyes,” I said right away. They all have green, but Anthony’s are ice blue.
“He’s our half-brother. My mother had an affair when my father was dying of cancer.” She smiled sadly. “It was a big scandal.”
I couldn’t think of anything to say. The idea of Charleigh Servant having an affair was earth-shaking, and to do it while her husband was dying seemed impossible. And yet that wasn’t the sort of thing Penny would lie about.
And the proof was in Anthony’s eyes.
“How? Who? What does that have to do with Roman?”
Penny looked at me like I was slow. “You’ve met him, right?”
“Roman?” I blinked and nodded. “I don’t know him well, but we’ve met.”
“Think about what he looks like.”
I frowned at her and pictured Cassie’s man in my mind. Tall, muscular, handsome.
Ice blue eyes.
I leapt to my feet. “Holy crap.”
Penny laughed. It seemed like a reasonable reaction. My heart raced as I paced around the room. I felt jittery and on edge as the implications swirled around my brain in undulating patterns. I couldn’t get a grip on myself, and Penny only watched indulgently, like she’d gone through this before.
“You see why we don’t talk about it,” she said finally, gesturing weakly.
“You’re kidding me, right? Roman’s dad and your mom had an affair? While your dad was dying of cancer?”
“Anthony was a surprise to everyone, but he’s a part of our family. I don’t think of him as a half-brother, honestly.”
“This is insane. It’s completely insane.” I stopped walking and gaped at her. “How are you sitting there so calmly?”
“I’ve known for years. You get used to the idea after a while.”
“And this is why Roman and Darren hate each other?”
“Part of it, anyway.” She hesitated, but her lip. “I shouldn’t say more. I mean, you have a right to know what’s happening, but I don’t want to speak for Darren. He can tell you the rest.”
“I’m not sure that’s going to happen.” I deflated and sat down heavily on a chair. I turned it around to face Penny and wiped my face with both hands, trying to get my brain back on track, but all I could think about was Charleigh Servant sleeping with someone while her husband lay dying.
Charleigh, who seemed so perfect, the image of a proper lady, was human after all.
“Life’s complicated in an Oligarch family. Sometimes I feel like a stranger in this place.”
“I know what you mean.”
She tilted her head. “You and your dad?”
She didn’t have to say more. I knew what she meant. I looked at my hands. “We got along mostly. I was angry with him for what he did to my mom, but I still loved him. He was my dad, you know?”
“Something changed though.”
“Yeah, something changed.” I whispered the words like I couldn’t get them out. “When he made my mom leave, I sort of understood it. She was on a bad downward spiral, started stealing from his office and taking pills all day long. She was a zombie, and the only time she got up from the couch was to call her dealer. Hundreds, thousands, probably tens of thousands of dollars went down the drain of her addiction.”
“That sounds awful.”
“My dad tried at first. They screamed at each other. I still remember it, him standing in the kitchen trying to get through to her, and mom zonked out at the ta
ble, barely listening, too high to care. They went at each other like that for weeks until he had enough and sent her away.”
“Sent her where?” Penny sat up straight, watching me carefully. I didn’t know if telling her all this was a good idea, but getting it off my chest felt right, at least, and she was the friendliest of everyone.
It didn’t quite fix things though. Even as I said the words, I knew this was wrong—because I really wanted to tell Darren. I wanted to see his face and to gauge his reaction to my family shame. He needed to know that I wasn’t perfect and that my family was as fucked as everyone else.
“Rehab place. She went through a few of those. They divorced while she was there. That was pretty ugly. He kept it all quiet though, kept it out of the gossip rags and away from his fancy country club friends. I believed him what he said he was doing it for her, that it was all for her own good.”
“What was it for then?”
“His reputation. I realize that now. He didn’t care about hurting her. He only cared about himself.”
Penny nodded to herself and closed her eyes. When she opened them, they glittered with moisture. I sat up straight, eyebrows shooting up, and I waved my hands like I was trying to dry her tears away.
She laughed though. “Oh, god, sorry, I’m sorry, this is embarrassing. I can get a little emotional sometimes, and your story—” She stopped talking and looked at her lap.
I jumped to my feet and sat down next to her again. I put my arm around her and pulled her against me, hugging her tight as she laughed, wiping at her eyes. A strange emotional wellspring opened up in my chest, and I wanted to hold her, to make her feel better, and I realized that was her power: she was so likable, so kind, and that gentleness was an oasis in a desert of ruthlessness.
She didn’t belong in a hell like the Servant Manor.
“I’m fine now, you know. Except for the whole kidnapping thing. My mom and I are close and she even says that being sent away saved her life. My dad doesn’t give her much money, so she has to keep working to pay the bills, but she says she’s happier now than she ever was back home. So don’t be sad. It all has a happy ending.”
Penny laughed and gently pushed me away. “It’s just that, sometimes I forget the world’s not so easy everywhere else. Not like my life is easy, but you know. It’s comfortable, at least.” She got to her feet and wiped her eyes with her sleeve again. “Please don’t tell my brother I cried in front of you.”