Elite - Chapter 11
Saturday
I didn’t sleep at all. I’d tossed and turned and dreamed of ghosts for the first time since I was a child. I kept my eyes closed shut all night, wishing that sleep would come. But all I could see was the shadow under the door as it seeped into my room.
A loud bang made my eyes fly open. I screamed at the top of my lungs when I saw a man hunched over in my closet.
He turned around, holding a dress in his hand. “Calm yourself.”
“What? Who…what are you doing in my room?” I’d locked the door. I was sure of it because I was so freaked out last night. I pulled the comforter up to my chest even though I wasn’t wearing anything even remotely revealing.
“You’re going to give yourself premature wrinkles,” he said as he slipped the dress on a hanger.
“Who the hell are you?”
He smiled, not at all alarmed by my tone. “Justin. I’m Diane’s assistant.”
“And who’s Diane?”
“Your stylist. You met her yesterday. You know…big glasses, crazy hair, about yay tall.” He held his hand out to the side to show her height.
I just stared at him. “How did you even get in?”
“The door was unlocked.”
“No it wasn’t.”
“Um…yes it was.” He slid another dress on a hanger. “Would you prefer if I organize by color or are you more of a hang-all-the-pants-together kind of girl?”
“I’ve never even hung up a pair of pants.”
“Interesting. It’s best if we just do it my way then.” He turned back to the closet.
For a few seconds I just stared at the back of his head. The morning had just started and I already felt completely out of my element. I climbed out of bed and opened one of my moving boxes. Before I could pull on some of my old clothes, Justin stopped me.
“Absolutely not. Try this.” He tossed me a pair of dark washed jeans and a sweater that would definitely show off my midriff.
“I don’t think this is very…me.”
“Nonsense. Diane wouldn’t have picked it out for you if it wouldn’t look good on your figure. Trust me. Some of the celebs she dresses would die for that outfit, but if they can’t pull it off, Diane won’t send it to them.”
“She dresses celebrities?”
“She’s Diane Cartwright. The head stylist for Odegaard. What kind of depressing hole have you been living in?”
The kind in Delaware, I guess. I didn’t want to fight with this weird man.
So I took the clothes to the bathroom and quickly changed.
I stared at my reflection in the floor length mirror.
The cut of the waistline of the jeans and the length of the sweater only left about an inch of skin showing.
I smiled at my reflection. It actually looked really good.
And unlike the itchy sweaters I was used to, this one was crazy soft.
When I walked back into the room, Justin whistled.
“Get it girl. Spin for me.”
I wasn’t sure why, but I twirled in a circle for him. It should have made me feel ridiculous, but it actually had the opposite effect.
“It’s even better with your smile. Perfection. Before you get me too distracted, some delicious man just stopped by and said breakfast was ready. Aren’t you a lucky little thing to ogle that eye candy all day?”
Every word out of his mouth was confusing. But I was pretty sure he meant Miller had stopped by and announced breakfast. “Is it okay if I leave you here?” I asked. “Or did you need my help?”
“It’s my job to get everything organized. Until I can realize my true potential, that is.”
“What’s your true potential?”
He looked up from his work. He seemed surprised by my question. “I was born to be an event planner.”
“All events or something in particular?”
He was staring at me like I was an alien. “Weddings specifically.”
“That sounds like a fun job.”
He smiled. “Fun. Flirty. And fabulous. The trifecta of “F’s. It’s the best job in the world. The only one for me.”
I smiled back. I really didn’t know what he was talking about, but he seemed excited. “So is being Diane’s assistant a stepping stone toward wedding planning?”
“Absolutely. Diane has all the connections.” He gestured around the room. “Remember me when you’re planning the wedding of your dreams.”
I laughed. “Not any time soon I’m afraid. But I’ll certainly remember you.”
He stared at me for a moment. “I guess I can fold your pants and put them in a drawer for you. But only because I like you.”
I laughed. “Thank you. That will actually be a lot easier for me.” Especially since I had no intention of ever hanging them up again.
“You’re so welcome. What a breath of fresh air you are.” He started humming and turned back to his work.
I left him to it and wandered out of my room.
For just a second I let myself think of Matt.
He’d made a joke a few nights ago, about how he’d be my first husband, like he’d take all my firsts.
It didn’t feel like a joke at the time. But now it did.
How could he ever marry someone he refused to be seen with in public?
Matt and I were done. We were. So why did I miss him so much?
I tried to push the thought aside as I walked down the stairs and made my way to the dining room.
The house seemed less creepy during the day.
But before I reached the dining room, I glanced over my shoulder.
It really felt like someone was watching me.
I ignored the shiver down my spine and walked into the room.
Mr. Pruitt was sipping a cup of coffee. He stopped mid-sip and looked up at me, a smile stretching across his face. It was the most genuine smile I’d seen on him. “Good morning, Brooklyn.”
Was it a good morning? He’d kidnapped me. He’d kicked his family out of the apartment last night. Nothing about this situation was good. “Um…good morning.” It came out as more of a question.
He gestured to the buffet spread out on the table. “Help yourself. I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I had the chef make quite a bit. I hope you’re hungry.”
I was starving. All I’d eaten last night was ice cream. And before that? I hadn’t had an appetite. So there was no way I could turn down this feast. I sat down and piled my plate full of fresh fruit, bacon, scrambled eggs, fluffy waffles, and syrup. I pushed the eggs into the syrup.
“Your mom liked syrup on her eggs too.”
I looked up at him. “Yeah. She did.” I wasn’t sure why it surprised me that he knew that. Clearly he did know her. My mom never made it sound like a one-night stand or anything. I was pretty sure she’d been in love with him. Had he felt that too? “You painted my room yellow.”
“You never told me what color you preferred. And it was your mother’s favorite. I took a gamble. If you want to change it…”
“No. I love it.” I tried not to wince. Loving my new jail cell wasn’t exactly the right thing to say.
I still wanted to leave. But I did have a million questions for him.
And right now seemed like the perfect opportunity.
There was only one that really mattered though.
“You could have reached out to me my whole life. Why’d you wait until now? ”
“Your existence only just came to my attention.”
What? That was a lie. “My mom told me that you didn’t stick around after you found out that she was pregnant. I know that you knew about me.”
“Yes, but I gave her money to take care of it. And then I never heard from her again.”
It? I wasn’t an it . Of course he never heard from her again. She wanted me. I was never an it to her. “You never thought of following up? To make sure you didn’t have another kid out there?”
“I was married. It was complicated. And I had no reason to assume she didn’t go through with the abortion when I gave her the proper funds.”
How could he talk about it so nonchalantly? He’d tried his best to get rid of me. Didn’t he see how fucked up this situation was? Why would he think I’d want to be here with him? I tried to focus so I could get the rest of the answers I needed from him. “Did she know that you were married?”
He shook his head. “No. Not until the last time I saw her.”
When you told her to get rid of me. I took a deep breath.
I’d never think differently of my mother, but it was nice to know that she didn’t know he was married.
If she had known…that would have been a lot harder to swallow.
She was the only role model I ever had. And I didn’t want my memories of her to be tainted by…
him. God, how had she loved him? I couldn’t see it.
My mom had been so full of life. And Mr. Pruitt was…
cold and cruel. “So if you didn’t want me, why am I here? ”
“Because you’re mine.”
“I’m not yours. That’s the whole point. You didn’t want me. And even if you’ve changed your mind, you can learn about me over dinner once a week or something. I don’t need to live here.”
“I’m trying to protect you.”
“I don’t need to be protected. Please just let me go back to the Alcaraz’s place.”
He shook his head. “I can’t let you live there. Ah. Here, your presents have arrived.”
One of the bodyguards I didn’t know came out with a big wrapped package complete with a huge bow on top. He placed it down in front of me on the table.
Did he seriously think he could buy my love? “I really don’t need anything else. Honestly, you can return all those clothes upstairs. I already have everything I need.”
“Nonsense. You like your new clothes. Or else you wouldn’t be wearing them. Besides, you need these things. Just open it.”
I stared at the gift like it was toxic. I shouldn’t have put on this stupid outfit. It didn’t matter how soft the sweater was or how good it looked. Putting it on made him think I wanted something from him. I didn’t. “Really, it’s…”
“You look lovely this morning by the way. That color suits you.”
His compliment threw me off guard.
“And your mother would have wanted you to have nice things. Go on. Open it.”
I was wrong before. He didn’t know my mother at all.
She cared about quality time, not quality items. The only expensive thing she owned was a floor-length cobalt blue dress that she wore on special occasions.
Like when I pretended to open a bakery in the middle of our kitchen and she came to my opening night.
Mr. Pruitt didn’t know me or my mom. He wasn’t my family.
But I also didn’t want to fight him. I’d be gone soon enough.
I pulled the bow and lifted the lid off the box. There was a laptop and a cell phone staring back at me. And a black Amex card with my name on it.
“This should make you feel more at home,” he said. “You’ll still be able to converse with the Alcaraz girl over the phone without actually seeing her in person.”
Throwing expensive things at me wasn’t the way to make me want to stay. And talking about my best friend like that? It made me want to run in the opposite direction of him. “Her name’s Kennedy.”
“This will be better for everyone. You’ll stay nice and safe here instead of ever being in that dingy building you came from.”
Wait. “Am I not allowed to leave?”
He laughed. “Of course you are. I have a whole list of approved visitors and of people you can visit as well. Miller will accompany you for all outings. And itineraries for the upcoming week must be submitted to me on Sunday mornings so I have time to approve them. If you’d like to give a list of friends to Miller, he’ll do the proper background checks. ”
He had to be kidding. I waited, but he didn’t laugh. “There’s a code on the front door. What is it?”
“You don’t need to worry about that, since Miller will be accompanying you.”
“But…”
“It’s for your safety.”
It was a fire hazard. Not a safety precaution. But I didn’t care. I’d already gotten a plan in my head. I wouldn’t be coming back. I just needed to get out of here once and I’d be all set. “My friend Felix Green lives in the building. Can I go see him today?”
“The Greens?” He took a sip of his coffee. “They’re art dealers, right?”
“Yes.” Although, Felix had implied that was just a front for something much more sinister. The less Mr. Pruitt knew about that, the better.
“Very well. Miller can take you over to their place after our round of golf.”
“ Our round of golf?”
“Yes. I thought it would be nice to show you around the club and introduce you to some of my associates.”
That sounded worse than my nightmares last night. I didn’t want him to parade me around to his associates. Whatever that meant. “Unless you count mini-golf, I don’t know how to golf.”
“Really?”
Where the hell would I have learned how to golf? “Really.”
“Then I’m afraid today won’t work. Bill is a real stickler for speed-of-play.
I’ll have to teach you another day. As it is, I have a tee time.
” He placed his napkin down on top of his plate.
“Enjoy the rest of your day. And please don’t hesitate to ask the staff for anything at all that you need.
Their numbers are already programmed into your phone. ”
“Wait.” He’d sidetracked the conversation so much I’d completely forgotten my most important question. “I have work tonight.” It seemed like telling him was better than asking. “So I won’t be here for dinner.”
He laughed. “No. Absolutely not.”
“No?” I purposely didn’t ask his permission. He didn’t get to tell me no. Despite what he thought, he wasn’t my parent. He wasn’t even my legal guardian. He was a kidnapping psychopath.
“You won’t be working anymore,” he said.
“But I have to work.”
He tilted his head to the side as he stared at me. “I can give you everything you need.” He gestured to the presents still sitting on the table.
I don’t want anything from you. “I’m saving up for college. I…”
“You get decent grades. I looked at your transcript. Pick any school you please and I’ll make it happen.”
I opened my mouth and closed it again. “I don’t want to get into a good school because of your name.”
“Of course you do. You’re already reaping the benefits. Why do you think you didn’t have detention yesterday after you started that food fight last week? I got you a clean slate at the school. Have fun with Mr. Green. And expense whatever you want to your card.” He strolled out of the dining room.
I honestly hadn’t thought about my detention at all.
I’d been a little too preoccupied with my grief and being taken from my uncle’s funeral.
And a food fight was stretching it. I’d thrown one green bean at Isabella after she’d berated me and my uncle.
I didn’t even deserve detention. Isabella did.
And it twisted my stomach into knots knowing that it was Isabella’s last name that had gotten me out of it.