14. Rook
My gaze burned through Maxon,who was standing in the shadows of the dining club.
I didn’t usually attend the monthly conclaves—they were meant for socializing and making deals, but I was here to look for any cracks in Saul’s security. And though Maxon’s eyes were sharp, his gaze continually on the room, he pointedly avoided the area where I was seated.
And yet, I had no illusions that eyes weren’t watching me; Maxon would have other means to keep tabs on me.
Powerful men sat in pewter leather sofas at glistening mahogany tables. Plates with stuffed lobster, steak au poivre, and truffle mushroom risotto. Deep red-blood wine stained greedy lips.
The air was pungent with the murmur of conquest and gluttony. Men here to stuff their swollen bellies with both food and cash. Assistants adorned their sides, immaculately dressed and mute.
A movement at the front of the room caught my attention—Saul looking up from his phone and towards the door. Then he leaned back in his chair, pulling the chain tight on his pet alligator.
I tightened my fist on the knife by my untouched plate. If only I could jump over the tables and kill him with his own steak knife.
“Please, gentlemen,” the black, bald man sitting in the front of the room cleared his throat. The room lulled in conversation at the quiet command from the Magnus. As head of the Magnolia chapter, Emerson Forten could destroy you with a simple word and thus, demanded respect.
As the front door swung open, Saul’s gaze moved to me.
I froze, holding tight the impassive look on my face. Whatever came next, I knew I wasn’t going to like it.
I narrowed my focus in on the form now entering the room. It was a woman—the blue velvet of her dress moving like flowing water as she slid through the black, gothic, iron door.
The shock of her white-blonde hair gave her away, and my heart caught in my throat. Shit. Shit. Shit.
A grin slithered up Saul’s face, his eyes alight with bright curiosity.
Fuck!
What the hell was Summer Duvall doing here, at the Magnolia?
I’d been attempting to dispel her from my thoughts, despite keeping an eye on her. And yet, here she was, like a fucking curse.
Despite the inner turmoil raging inside, I effected a bored look, forcing my gaze away from the innocent bunny who’d entered the slaughterhouse.
How the hell did she even find out about this place? After Douglass’ death, I went through everything in his house and got rid of any mention of the Magnolia.
”Hi.” Her voice—soft, sweet, and so fucking innocent—perfumed the air like liquid silk. Out of the corner of my eye, Tucker”s face snapped to attention, as well as every other man in the room. Even the women, usually silent, still, and taciturn, looked towards her.
How long had it been since we’d seen someone so sinless, so naive, in this place?
“Welcome.” Emerson looked relaxed, but he’d turned his saddle leather chair away from the table and towards her. He gave her a smile and a nod, “As God says, ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. You are welcome here.”
She didn’t look so sure.
In the dark, imposing room, with black tile flooring and charcoal-grey concrete ceilings, embellished with gold and diamonds, she was a bright beacon of light. Her hair, so blonde it was almost white, and the deep blue of her eyes, brought out by the blue velvet of her vintage Ossie Clark dress, were nothing to the magnetic sexuality oozing from her.
A mixture of sweet and sinfully seductive screamed the most depraved night of sex of your life.
“It appears we have a new applicant for the Magnolia,” Emerson continued, “All those whom the Father gives me, will come to me. And whomever comes to me, I will never drive away. Isn’t that right, Saul?”
“Yes,” Saul nodded, almost breathless in his eagerness.
“Come,” Emerson prodded her closer with a wave of his hand, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”
Once she’d stepped as close as she could, he nodded at Saul to take over.
”What”s your name, sweetheart?” Saul”s false, bright smile and soothing tone made her shoulders relax.
”Summer.”
”And your last?” He knew her last name, everyone in the room did.
”Duvall.”
“My name is Saul Vanderhorst. I knew your father. He recently passed, didn’t he?”
”Yes,” Her voice wobbled, and I struggled to maintain my composure. Her obvious pain hit something inside me, linking us, even though she had no clue who I was. What her father meant to me.
I forced my own shoulders to relax. My face to remain impassive, though my own grief was choking off my breath.
”I see. You poor dear.”
My stomach rolled with repugnance at Saul”s slick tone but she gave him a soft smile.
God, was she really this naive?Was she falling for this? Fake sympathy and feigned ignorance.
He held out a hand, and her gratitude morphed to confusion. She blinked, clutching the file in her hands to her chest. Then, hesitatingly, she reached out, grasping it, and Saul chuckled. ”Aren”t you sweet?” He dropped her hand like she had leprosy, and nodded towards the folder. ”I meant whatever you brought for us. I”m assuming you”re here because you need something.” Despite his words, the look on Saul”s face was too eager, but Summer didn”t notice.
Instead, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and every man in the room practically came in their pants. I could hear William Allen panting, his fat jowls forcing wheezing breaths through his lips.
I kept my ass rooted to my chair, even though I wanted to jump to my feet and drag her from this room by her hair. The woman deserved to be punished for such innocence and, not for the first time, I cursed Douglass for loving her so much.
Or, at least, for not stripping away at least a little bit of her naivety.
And yet, wasn”t it the same care that had gotten me through the worst time of my life?
I bit my inner cheek, clamping down on my thoughts and refocusing.
What happened next was vitally important.
Stepping inside the inner room of the sanctum had put a target right in the middle of Summer’s pretty little forehead. One the Magnolia would take advantage of—spinning a thread around Summer so delicate, she wouldn’t even feel the web tightening until it was too late.
She was stumbling through her explanation while Saul looked through whatever papers she’d given him. “…and I was hoping for some kind of loan. Something to get me through this, just for now.”
What the ever-loving hell?I’d paid off her current bills, as a start. Hoping to find a way to discreetly give her more.
Had she not checked?
“And how much are you looking for?”
She didn”t answer right away, instead staring around the room at all of us, as if the answer would be written on any of our faces.
Some of the men nodded at her encouragingly, and I clenched a fist, tempted to punch every single one of those assholes. Tucker was especially attentive that even Grace, his assistant, shifted nervously at his side.
“I’m not sure, I...” She shifted her feet, her fingers playing with the top edge of her V-neck that had all the eyes of the men, and some of the women, in the room staring at it.
She suddenly stopped her incoherent mumbling, trying to pull a number from her head, and I looked back at her, wondering what had made her pause.
Her eyes had landed on me.
I met her surprised gaze with my own dark one, unable to look away. She looked so small, so goddamn sweet, so helpless.
A lump formed in my throat.
Douglass would”ve hated this, having her in this room full of wolves who wanted to ravish her.
Including me.
Because I was just as desperate to bite the little bunny. See how she tasted. If the sweetness dripping from her was as addictive as I’d fantasized.
I shouldn’t be thinking of her in this way. I knew that—she was too young. And was Douglass’ daughter, the man whom I considered a father figure. But I didn’t—couldn’t—stop myself.
She looked away first and fear unfurled inside me as Saul’s grin turned from placating to impish.
”Maybe a few—ten thousand?” She finally settled on, and I blanched. God, she really was that fucking naive? I needed to get her out of this.
”I think it”s a bad investment.” I was tipping my hand, I knew, but Saul had already expected my interest in her. The best way forward was through action.
Everyone stared at me like I”d grown a second head.
I rarely spoke at any meetings, suffering through them in silence.
I was the only one who never brought an assistant, never participated in their games, never invested more than I had to—only enough to stay under the radar.
By speaking up, I”d given away my hand; there was no hiding it now.
“She”s living in a dilapidated house, with a sister and a manservant to support, with no job or education.” I gave her a cold look. “Are you even old enough to apply for a loan?”
Her face darkened, and she pursed her lips determinedly. ”I just turned eighteen.”
Dwight Wallbringer clutched the table in front of him, spilling his wine as he leaned forward and towards her. His assistant’s white napkin stained red as she rushed to wipe it up. Nigel and Lawrence Forthright, twins, simultaneously pulled at the restrictive tie at their neck, their dark gazes on her breasts. I purposely didn’t look towards Hawke—if he was staring at her with the same hunger, I would strangle him.
”A child,” I scoffed. “Barely old enough to sign a contract.”
”It”s true,” Saul spoke up and all eyes went to him, ping-ponging between the three of us. All eyes, except for Summer”s, who stared me down like she wanted to hold my face under water until I couldn”t breathe. At least the girl had some fire to her.
That might be her saving grace.
”We don”t usually take on unfriendly loans like this,” Saul continued, drawing back her attention. “And, if what Mr. Craven says is true, that you have little to your name--”
”But, that-that”s why I”m here.” She interrupted. The flame of embarrassment from her face was gone, replaced by an angry red, ”If I had money, I wouldn’t have come…”
At the displeased look on Saul’s face, her voice petered out.
After a long, uncomfortable silence, Saul spoke, gripping his pet’s spiked leash so tight, the alligator gave a strangled hiss as the sharp razors dug into his neck. ”As I was saying,” Saul handed off the alligator to his assistant as if nothing strange had happened, “under your circumstances, we cannot loan you the money under the bank”s name, if you have little valuable collateral. However,” he paused dramatically, not paying any attention to his assistant, who was trying to get the pet to stop hissing at Saul, “our charity might possibly be a good fit.”
My stomach sunk at his words; Summer was unknowingly descending deeper and deeper into the pit of snakes.
He continued on, “And that is if, and only if, you prove you have manners.”
She stiffened at his chastisement but nodded her head mutely, swallowing her pride as evidenced by the bob of her throat. “I can.”
“Okay then. We will see if that’s true.” He leaned forward. “Now, would a charitable handout be something you”d be interested in? You’d have to apply for it, prove yourself worthy of such an honor.”
I gripped my table tighter, forcibly stopping myself from jumping from my seat.
She nodded. ”Yes, sir.”
”Good,” he soothed, purring at her easy compliance, making my blood boil.
”I”m not sure the charity we fund,” I emphasized the word, ”we”, knowing full well I was the only one in the room who wasn”t beholden to it, ”would find her needy enough. She does have a roof over her head, and an able enough body.”
At my words, all eyes in the room, including Saul”s, went to her, assessing her.
Even I couldn’t withstand the temptation. Full, bitable lips, a sensual, smokey gaze, breasts that pillowed tight against the V-neck of her dress. They would bounce so perfectly, nipples budded and tight.
I imagined how she would look naked, tied to my bed, my cum marking every inch of her golden skin.
She was perfect for all the things I wanted to do to her.
”I”m not going to work at some strip club,” the ferocity in her voice was admirable, snapping me out of my dark thoughts.
She was eighteen,for hells sake. Not old enough.
Not that that mattered to depraved members of the Magnolia. Her age only increased the temptation. A quick glance around the dark room revealed everyone was now imagining her taking off her clothes. I could tell by the way the men shuffled, adjusting themselves.
I wanted to gouge their eyes out just for looking at her.
For thinking they could take what was mine.
I”d known of her long before anyone else in the room. Taken care of her as a baby—just like I intended to take care of her now.
No one in this room knew her like I did.
”No one said that.” I grinned at her coldly, even though my own dick was tight in my pants. ”But maybe a supermarket, or a cafe. I bet you make great coffee.”
She frowned, turning away from me and towards Saul. ”I”ve got a job as a waitress, but it’s not enough. I?—“
”Have you thought about going to a university? I’m sure the government would provide a student loan.” I interrupted her, not wanting to let this go. ”Getting a degree so you can earn more than minimum wage? Have you even graduated from high school?”
“I’ve graduated from high school.”
”Cut her some slack,” Tucker decided to join the conversation, and Grace stiffened beside him. She was petite, with an athletic, doll-shaped figure, and constantly attached to his side. I’d often wondered if they were fucking, as he, too, rarely participated in the games the Magnolia played with new recruits.
I scowled at him, glaring daggers. She was mine. “She”s not a proper candidate for the charity.”
”She sounds like the perfect candidate to me.” Tucker disagreed, sneering at me, and other men in the room grunted their agreement. “She?—”
“No.” I cut him off with a sharp motion of my hand, clenching my jaw. “She’s not.”
“She should be allowed to apply, at least,” one of the men piped up.
“I won’t allow it.”
“You won’t allow it?” Tucker chuckled darkly, and I felt Emerson’s gaze snap towards me. I straightened and forced my tone to be more respectful.
“I have a say in where that money goes.”
“We all do,” another man bit out.
“Besides, I doubt she’s smart enough,” I growled. “How were your grades?”
”My grades weren’t too bad.” Her voice wavered.
“See?” Tucker gave her a bright smile, the old Maxwell charm his family was well known for, and she returned it warmly.
”That proves nothing,” I snarled, my anger building.
”Can I at least apply?” Summer reluctantly looked away from Tucker, already beguiled by his good looks. She switched her attention back to Saul, who had watched the exchange with a gleeful expression on his face. ”What do I need to do?”
I stood, desperation clawing up my throat. “We should put it to a vote.”
Saul shot me a dark look, one I knew I would pay for later, but if I was going to stand my ground, I would do it right here, right now. Before it was too late.
”While I appreciate your advice, Rook,” Saul”s tone of voice let me know he did not in any way appreciate it, ”She should at least be allowed to apply for the charity. Regardless, I think you’ll find you are a lone fish in a tank of sharks, but let’s find out, shall we?” He looked at Emerson, who nodded in agreement.
My chest hollowed out, and I bit down my scathing response, instead giving a sharp nod. I was already on thin ice. Saying anything else, now that Emerson had made his decision, would force his hand.
Tucker gave me an arrogant grin and I wanted to smash his teeth into the back of his throat.
Saul stood. Facing the room, he wrapped an arm around Summer”s waist, pulling her close, and I imagined breaking every single one of his fingers.
She stiffened, but forced a frozen smile, purposely not looking at me.
”All in favor of accepting an application from Miss Duvall, say ‘aye”.”
The room filled with the choruses of deep voices. ”Aye.”
”All against?”
All eyes landed on me, including Tucker”s, whose smile had grown even more triumphant, if possible.
I looked Summer in the eyes, making my position as clear as possible. ”Nay.”
The room was silent for a brief moment, then it erupted in whispers, and Saul’s words to her, ”Summer, welcome to the Magnolia.”
I sat there, frozen, in disbelief.
What the fuck just happened?
How had I failed my oath so spectacularly, in such a short time?
I stood, buttoning my suit.
The hell with staying for closing rituals.
As I passed Summer, she gave me a small, nervous smile. I could sense the unease in it.
Maybe the little bunny had some sense of instinct, after all.
If only she truly understood how she would live to regret this day.
Her father was turning over in his grave.