Elite - Chapter 12
Saturday
“You really don’t have to come with me,” I told Miller when we reached the front door.
“Actually I do.”
“But you could just give me the code…”
“You know I can’t.”
I felt bad dragging him into this. But I couldn’t think about what would happen to him when I ran off.
All I could focus on right now was myself and getting as far away from here as possible.
My backpack was stuffed with everything I needed.
I’d even snagged a few bottles of water and some granola bars from the kitchen. I wasn’t coming back.
Miller typed in the code, being careful not to let me see. And then we walked in silence down the hall and into the elevator. The elevator music played through the speaker system. For some reason it was really soothing.
“So what are the two of you doing today?” Miller asked as he shoved his hands into his pockets.
“Just hanging out.” Felix didn’t even know I was coming.
But hopefully he was home. If I didn’t see a familiar face right now I was pretty sure I’d lose it.
I knew Mr. Pruitt was trying to be nice this morning.
Gifting me a phone, inviting me to his tee time, complimenting my outfit.
But at the same time, he was also controlling and rude.
I didn’t want to be here. I couldn’t do this.
“Sounds like fun,” Miller said.
“Mhm.” The doors opened on the 24 th floor. “Are you sure you want to be an awkward third wheel?” I asked as we stepped off. I wasn’t sure anything about Miller was awkward. Which made me think I’d somehow wind up being the awkward third wheel with him and Felix. This was going to be a disaster.
“You won’t even notice that I’m there. That’s the whole point.”
“I’m pretty sure I’ll notice that you’re there.”
The corner of his mouth ticked up.
I wasn’t giving him a compliment. I just meant that if he was staring at me and Felix it was going to be weird.
But his smile made me smile. We stopped outside of apartment C and I knocked on the door that looked exactly like the Pruitt’s apartment door.
After a few seconds I knocked again. Please, Felix.
Please, please, please. If he wasn’t home I wasn’t sure what I would do.
The thought of being dragged back to the Pruitts place was horrifying.
Felix was my ticket to freedom. But first he had to show up.
“Can I use your phone?” I asked.
“Didn’t Mr. Pruitt give you one this morning?”
Oh right. I pulled it out of one of the pouches in my backpack and tapped out a text to Felix.
The door opened a few seconds later. “Sorry about that, newb,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t usually get many visitors. How are you doing…”
I launched myself into his arms before he could finish his thought. God it was so nice to be hugged after walking around the Pruitts haunted house for the last day. I’d started to believe in ghosts for goodness’ sake. And the chill that wouldn’t leave my skin dissipated in his arms.
“Uh…hey, man,” Felix said, his arms wrapping more securely around me. “Can I help you?”
I pulled myself out of Felix’s embrace. “This is Miller. I believe you met him last night when you stopped by?”
“Yeah.” When no one said anything for a beat, Felix added, “but that doesn’t explain why he’s here now.”
“Miller has to follow me around all day because Mr. Pruitt is insane.”
Felix looked back and forth between us when Miller didn’t even offer a hello. “What do you mean follow you around?”
“He’s my bodyguard or something like that.”
Miller nodded.
“Well thanks for dropping her off,” Felix said.
Miller shook his head. “If she’s coming in, so am I.”
“Oooookay. Well, come in then I guess.”
Miller walked past him and looked around the foyer like he thought there were explosives and guns about to go off. He peered behind a few pieces of framed art and looked under a console table.
“What the hell is this?” Felix whispered.
“I’m sorry. I only just found out that he’d be accompanying me during all my outings.” I watched Miller look behind another painting. He’d been so normal last night. And now he was acting like a guard dog. Was he sniffing that vase for a bomb?
“All your outings?” Felix asked.
“There’s a whole list of rules about who I’m allowed to hang out with.
Luckily you made the cut, because it doesn’t seem like Mr. Pruitt is ever going to let me hang out with Kennedy again.
He has some grudge against people that aren’t in his zip code or something.
Which is why I need to ask you a favor,” I said, lowering my voice.
“What do you need?”
“Can you distract Miller for me for a few minutes so I can make a run for it?” Actually, I wasn’t sure if I’d need Felix for this. Miller seemed plenty distracted all by himself. Seriously, what was he looking for?
Felix looked over at Miller and then back at me. “Where are you going to go? Why don’t you just stay here?”
“I’m supposed to be back for dinner with Mr. Pruitt tonight.
Miller wouldn’t let me stay here, he’d drag me out of here when the time came.
He already dragged me away from the funeral.
I have to get away from him in order to pull this off.
I’m going to go to Kennedy’s. I’m pretty sure Mr. Pruitt would never follow me there. He’s repulsed by it.”
“Doesn’t mean he won’t send Miller.”
Good point. “Then I’ll just…go somewhere else. Please, Felix, you have to help me. I can’t spend another night there.”
“Well you don’t have to make a run for it just yet. Come in and relax for a bit and we can strategize.”
He was right. I didn’t have to flee this second. Mr. Pruitt would be gone for hours. At least, I thought golf took hours. Whenever I saw it on TV, it certainly felt like I’d been watching for hours.
“I’ll let Kennedy know you’re here too.” Felix pulled out his phone and shot her a text. “Wait, you texted me.” He looked up at me. “Does that mean you got a phone?”
“Yeah. And a laptop. And a new wardrobe. And an Amex card for…something. I don’t know.”
He laughed. “I like your outfit.” He put his hand on my shoulder and gently ran it down to my elbow. “Your sweater is really soft.”
Miller cleared his throat. “Everything looks good here. Can we maybe choose one room to hang out in so I don’t have to do this all day?
” His voice practically echoed. The last time I’d been to Felix’s there were students everywhere dancing and drinking.
It was weird seeing it so empty. But empty was a lot better than haunted.
“Sure,” Felix said as he threw his arm around my shoulders. “Right this way.”
I was pretty sure Miller was glaring at us as Felix pulled me to the family room.
Yeah, I could definitely feel Miller’s eyes burning a hole in the back of my head.
I knew this was going to be awkward. Miller had insisted it wouldn’t be, but he was the one being weird.
And I hadn’t even run away yet. At least he was the third wheel instead of me.
“Is this okay?” Felix asked.
“Yeah it’s…”
“It’ll take me a few minutes to make sure,” Miller said, cutting me off. “Just stand there for a second.” He lifted a couch cushion and inspected the zipper.
“Welcome to your new life,” Felix whispered.
I laughed. My life for the next few hours maybe. Because this? The weird precautions. The security detail. The clothes. None of it was me. “Is this normal?” I asked. “Do you have a security guard that goes into people’s houses and acts like this?”
“No, I have a driver. And a chef. And a maid. No security. But even if I did…this would be a bit extreme.”
Miller picked up a lamp and looked under it.
“Scratch that,” Felix said. “This is very extreme.”
It really was. “Do they have this many precautions with Isabella too?” I asked Miller.
He looked up from the magazines he was overturning on the coffee table. “I don’t know. I’m not on her security detail.”
“Does Mr. Pruitt have you do this with every room he walks in?”
“No.”
What? “So why are you doing it now?”
“Because he asked me to.”
“What does he think is going to happen to me?” I laughed.
Miller didn’t respond. He just kept examining pieces of furniture.
This was ridiculous. “You can stop securing the premises or whatever you’re doing,” I said. “No one’s trying to hurt me. Felix’s apartment is safe. I’ve been here before. What are you even looking for?”
“Mr. Pruitt gave me strict instructions about this,” he said, ignoring my question. “Just give me a few more minutes.”
“Why? Am I in danger or something?” I said it as a joke, but as soon as the words left my mouth, they freaked me out. “Wait, am I in danger?”
He paused for way too long. “No, of course not.”
That was not convincing at all. “So if I’m not in danger, why are you doing all this?”
“Because he asked me to.”
Well this conversation had gone in a perfect circle.
I sighed and sat down on the arm of the couch.
Mr. Pruitt had said something about wanting to keep me safe.
That was why he didn’t want me staying with Kennedy.
But what could possibly happen to me there?
Or here? It didn’t make any sense. I was surrounded by good people.
The only person I could even think of that wanted to hurt me was Isabella.
“Okay, you’re good to go,” Miller said. He walked over to the entrance to the room, folded his arms, and stared at me.
“You said this wouldn’t be awkward.”
He ignored me.
“It’s fine,” Felix said and sat down on the couch. “Just ignore him.”
I didn’t know how to ignore him. And I wasn’t even sure that I wanted to. Miller was the only person at the Pruitts that was nice to me. I didn’t want…whatever this was. I wasn’t cut out for a security guard following me around. It was too uncomfortable.
“This is weird,” I whispered to Felix. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. I’m just glad you’re here. How bad was last night?”