Chapter 4 Dottie
Chapter four
Dottie
After a fitful night of sleep, I wake early with only one thought on my mind: I can't let Frank Ozella destroy our land.
After Toto left last night, I gleaned more information from my brothers.
Frank Ozella wants to bulldoze the land from the Ogre Swamp to the border of the Gillikin ward, stopping only where the forest and rough terrain grow too wild for tourism.
The project won’t just wipe out my brothers’ farm and land; it will uproot nearly a sixth of Oz’s population and threaten our culture with an influx of human-world tourism.
Before I've had my coffee—which should be a massive red flag to slow my roll—I find myself following two linen trucks through the front gates of the Ozella compound. So many people come and go that nobody bats an eye as I drive my dented little hatchback up the front drive.
I get out before I change my mind and storm up the expansive front steps to the gaudiest-looking door I've ever seen.
Gold upon gold upon gold. It's ornate, but still looks cheap. Freakishly large phoenixes with tortured eyes jut out on either side as if trying to escape. They’re as hideous as they are terrifying.
Where is the freakin' doorbell?
I poke at the wall around the door like I'm an alien on a new planet.
Eh, if the shoe fits.
Finally, I give up any sense of decorum and simply pound on the monstrosity with my fist.
A smaller hatch opens at the top of the massive door, and a mustachioed man with round spectacles appears. His gaze is fixed on a clipboard as he barks, "Deliveries 'round the back."
"Wait!" I call out as he prepares to shut the hatch. "I need to speak to Frank Ozella."
"Is he expecting you?" The man still doesn’t deign to look at me.
I pause for a ridiculously long time with my mouth open before saying in a loud, clear voice, "Yeppers."
The man finally turns, his pronounced mustache twitching as he eyes me over the top of his glasses.
His gaze roams over my ripped jeans and the Care Bears T-shirt I hastily threw on this morning before dropping to my rhinestone-studded skull sneakers.
He meets my gaze for one moment, then closes the little hatch with a loud slam.
Before I can think better of it, I bang on the door, bruising my hand in the process.
The little door finally opens again, and I glare up at the man with my hands on my hips. "I want to meet with Frank Ozella. Please," I add through gritted teeth.
"Young lady," the man sneers down his nose at me, "we are preparing for tonight's ball. You need to leave."
"No!" I yell loudly, knowing I’m giving him further reason to dismiss me, but also keenly aware that rich people are afraid of loud poor people.
"Oh, for goodness’ sake, they aren't even home! Go!" The man shuts the door with such force that I know he won't open the door again, no matter how hard I bang on it.
I kick the fancy driveway rocks in frustration as I head back to my car. When I open the driver's door, I glance at the garage and freeze.
Maddox Ozella sits atop a motorcycle, looking like sex on a plate, staring at me.
I swallow hard and blink. Tall, dark, and handsome, with intense eyes that burn into my soul. Ten years, and my heart still pounds out of my chest at the sight of him and his broody intensity. Time stops, the rest of the world falls away, and for a single, exciting moment, it's only Maddox and me.
And then the bubble pops.
He gives me an icy glare before starting his bike with a loud rumble and peeling out of the driveway.
My brain stops working as I watch him disappear. Good to know the butterflies I always experienced whenever I was in his presence back in the day were not a figment of my imagination.
I let out a low breath and squeeze my legs together, trying not to picture him riding me instead of that gorgeous bike.
I grit my teeth. The Ozellas are trying to ruin your brothers' lives, I chide myself. Time to stop being a slutty hussy and focus. Glancing at the hideous front door again, I shake my head. I need a better plan.
***
After massive amounts of coffee, a stroll through Granger's orchard, and a much-needed nap, my brain resets.
I'm grateful the Ozella patriarch was gone this morning because… what was I thinking? That man won’t listen to me.
He's ruthless and calculating. I need to destroy him in the same way he destroys others.
He's vile scum of the earth, who desperately wants public approval. What I need is dirt on him. Something that would ruin him if it were to get out. And luckily for me, I'm about to spend hours in his tacky mansion. If I should stumble upon a deeply buried secret in the process, so be it.
Hours later, I've squeezed my curvy ass into the scrap of cloth that Toto calls a uniform and am gliding through Frank Ozella's fundraiser like a serving ghost. Nobody bothers to acknowledge I exist unless they demand a fresh glass of champagne, and even then, only a few guests actually look me in the eye.
I grin as I offer trays of Granger's nut tarts—a joke these snooty wizards would never appreciate.
I wince, switching the tray to the other hand.
My right hand is still sore from banging on the front door earlier today.
I keep an eye on the hallway outside the ballroom.
So far, security is on a two-minute rotation, which means I only have thirty seconds to slip beyond the doors and down the side hallway.
As I contemplate how I’ll return to the party once I'm done snooping, a voice from my past catches my attention.
"Oh, my. Is that Dottie Gale? They didn't have a skirt in your size, darling?" Griselda Westing's honied voice is like living music—a stark contrast to her caustic words.
"My, my," another abrasive feminine voice joins in. "Look what the cat dragged in."
I square my shoulders as Vera Eastwood's cackle rings out, ready to face the wickedest witches of Emerald City Prep.
"Tarts?" I ask, bringing the platter of desserts around in front of me.
Griselda raises one perfectly arched brow as she looks at the tray and wrinkles her nose.
"When I found out your little lap dog was catering this event, I just about died.
So many better options in Oz, but Mr. Ozella is such a kind and generous soul and likes to throw a bone to the underdog every once in a while. "
Griselda's comments draw attention, and a few people nearby laugh.
Vera makes a barking noise as dusty and dry as her shriveled little heart, sneering at Toto's amazing food.
I hold my tongue, refusing to give in to the goading. I stood up to them on my first day of school, and I still have the scars—physical and emotional—as a reminder that some people are simply more powerful.
Griselda leans in so close that I can smell the waxy scent of her lipstick as her hot breath fans my cheek. "Now I'm in charge of Frank's publicity and events, your little friend won’t get anywhere near future Ozella fundraisers." She grins, but the threat is clear.
Everyone at the party has been raving about the food, yet Griselda is going out of her way to destroy Toto's reputation. Is she the reason Toto is losing customers? For what purpose, though?
Griselda suddenly squeals, startling me as she bumps my arm and races toward whoever is behind me.
"Maddie-baby, so good to see you," she purrs in her sexy, smoky voice.
I want to tell her that she could make bank as a phone sex operator in the real world but bite my tongue.
"Playing with the help, Griselda?"
Maddox Ozella's deep voice oozes over me. My breath hitches, and my nipples instantly pucker.
I turn around and lock eyes with the one man I hate to love. If I thought he looked good riding away on a motorcycle earlier today, it’s nothing compared to the sinful way he fills out a suit.
Griselda plasters herself to Maddox’s side, grabbing his tie in one hand and running the fingers of the other through the hair at the nape of his neck. "Maddie, I'm so glad you're back in town." She leans forward, planting a small kiss on his cheek. "We have so much to catch up on."
I turn away quickly, not wanting to witness any more of their reunion. Checking the time, I realize the security lapse is approaching. It's now or never.
Vera Eastwood steps directly into my path before I can slip away. Her black snakeskin dress couldn’t be more fitting—cold and deadly. "Say hi to your brothers for me." She eyes me over her glass with a sick grin before strutting away.
A shiver runs down my spine as I contemplate the meaning of her words. How does she know the guys?
I shake my head, filing it away for later. Time is of the essence.
Stashing the tray behind an enormous potted plant, I slip out and turn right, plastering myself against the wall until I reach the hallway.
I gasp as I round the corner, narrowly avoiding a run-in with a large security guard.
I shrink against the wall, but the hulking man walks past as if I'm invisible.
What the hell?
Hearing footsteps behind me, I dart to the end of the hallway and push through the gaudy, ornate door.
Jackpot. A large golden desk fills the space, and a cupboard lines the opposite wall. I close the door quietly and tiptoe to the desk. Opening the top drawer, I find stationery. The second drawer holds stacks of what appear to be household bills. I try to open the third drawer, but it's locked.
And that's when I hear footsteps.
I race across the plush carpet, trying to decide on the best place to squeeze my round ass, and duck into the cupboard just as the door opens. I will myself not to breathe, even as my heart pounds in my ears.
"Griselda, I have no interest in having this conversation now, or ever." Maddox's voice booms in the small space.
"Like you have a choice," Griselda bites back, all flirty desire erased from her voice.
The door closes, trapping me inside the room with two people who would like nothing more than to ruin me—which is exactly what they'll do if they find me here.
Shit. This was a bad idea. And now I'm about to spoil the night for Toto.
Please forgive me, dear friend.