26. Summer
Ring ring.Beautiful, poisoned flowers glimmered in the moonlight. Giant fern leaves and prickly vines twisted and danced with the wind. Pearlescent stones marked a path, but overgrown bushes and encroaching darkness hid the way.
I stared at the huge garden, knowing I was the smallest, most vulnerable creature in the universe. Pitter patter, the sound of my heartbeat. Pitapat. Not mighty or strong. Tiny, nervous, thrashing…weak.
Afraid to move.
And yet, at the other side—Callie. Freedom.
Ring ring. Saul was calling. Determined, I jumped into the underbrush, rushing and frantic, my long ears picking up the subtle shifts of the wind. The path grew darker, stones uneven underfoot.
Suddenly, a tingling sensation crept up my spine. Making the fur on the back of my neck stand on end.
I froze, taking in the sensation. An eerie quietness, a sense of something other.
And then, the call of the thing, a loud roar, followed by a deep growl of the beast.
It was as familiar as the breath over my shoulder. A tempting allure. Always beckoning, setting me on edge.
The thing that could snap me in two with his big, strong, jaws. “Rook,” I whimpered.
Heart racing, I bolted forward, hoping he wouldn’t notice the small pitter patter in the quiet.
But his footsteps rushed towards me, swift and light and incredibly fast. My fear broke through the silence. Agile legs leaping, I bolted right and left and right, zigzagging through the underbrush.
The garden shifted, turning into forest and swamp. Mud sucking, insects swarming.
He was getting closer and closer.
The sound of his gnarling just behind me.
Then his breath is on my shoulder, the snap of his jaw at my ear. “Hello, bunny. Time to come out and play.”
I screamed as my leg was jerked out from under me; I was caught in his strong, powerful jaws.
Ring, ring, ring.Saul’s screeching voice, “You will get me what I want!”
Flames singed my fur. The phone in my paw melting. The sky an ocean of orange and blue.
My eyes bolted open, my heart pounding. My mouth gaping in a silent scream. Frozen in fear.
I was in my bed. Dreaming.
I sucked in a breath, my cheeks wet with tears.
I blinked, my mind fuzzy. There was something… Something my mind was trying to grasp but I couldn’t quite hold it.
There was a warmth at my back, a strong band around my stomach.
I jolted when it suddenly came back to me.
Rook.
Saul.
My house burning to the ground.
I’d left Rook”s office fuming.
He’d been such a dick.
Not only had I failed in my mission to seduce him, but I’d actually opened myself up to him. Been vulnerable. Talked about my teacher and being a virgin.
And he’d played me like a fucking violin.
But was that so surprising?
My whole life had been that way. First my father shipping me off to school as soon as my mother was dead.
The one thing all boys at school had in common was their own self-interest.
And then there was Garrett. He’d been so charming. And kind.
He said he didn’t care that I was a virgin. And yet, where the hell was he? Not here, when I needed him the most, that was for sure. He’d disappeared, without a word.
So Rook—Rook was just another in a long line of men who’d disappointed me.
And yet, even though I was sent there to seduce him, for a brief moment, I’d let down my guard. Actually believed him.
He’d seemed to genuinely like me.
And he—he didn’t hurt me like I’d asked him to. What did that mean? Was I really naive, or was he not attracted to me?
How was I going to convince Saul that I could do this?Would he give me another chance?
All these thoughts had consumed me as I’d made my way towards my car. I was so lost in them that it had taken me a moment to notice Olivia approaching. I stopped, immediately trying to come up with an excuse for why I’d failed.
“Olivia, I…” Words were lost to me.
Her sharp gaze took in my appearance—moving over my mussed hair and wrinkled dress. Shoes dangling from my fingers. There was a glint of triumph in her eyes.
I shook my head, “It’s not what you think.”
“It’s exactly what I think,” she’d grinned—the first time I’d ever seen a genuine smile grace her face.
Then—a movement behind me. I’d swiveled to see three men in gray suits. Fear and panic clawed my insides. My struggle was useless as two held me while the third put a needle to my neck.
The next hours were a cloudy and confusing blur. I vaguely remembered being carried, the scent of musky cologne pressed against my face. Warmth sliding over me. My eyes blinking as water hit my face. Rook holding me tight, his movements gentle as he adjusted me. His warm voice sliding over my skin, “It’s okay. Everything will be okay.” The scent of lavender soap. “You’re safe now.”
Even now, my eyes blinked sleepily, fog washing through my mind, though I knew one thing: the Magnolia had kidnapped me. And now, I was in Rook’s house.
In his bed, dressed in his oversized t-shirt.
His arm was curled around me, his bare torso pressed to my back. His musky smell surrounding me.
I was sinking deeper and deeper into this dangerous world of secrets.
And, as the darkness enclosed in on me, I couldn”t shake the feeling that this embrace, this tangled closeness, was just the beginning of a much darker tale.
* * *
I awoke with another start.
I didn”t have to move to know that he was gone.
The room was completely silent, except for the sounds of birds at the window. No dip in the mattress behind me. No warmth at my back.
”Are you okay?”
My eyes bolted open. A raspy, feminine voice.
I turned, shooting upwards at the sight of a woman leaning back in a sofa chair in the corner of the room. “You.”
Lux, the woman from the bank.
”Are you okay?” she repeated herself. She was looking up from her phone, a concerned look on her face.
Grabbing the comforter, I pulled it up to my chest as I sat upwards, mentally assessing myself. ”I think so. A little groggy, but otherwise...”
She nodded. ”Good.”
“What”s going on?”
She sighed, standing up. ”Welcome to the Magnolia.”
”But,” I jumped out of bed, the carpet soft on my toes as I followed her to the attached bathroom, “what does that even mean?”
She opened a door, pulling out a towel and a pile of bath products. ”These are for you.” She dumped them on the counter. ”Rook says to feel free to make this your home. Take a bath, shower, whatever you want. He bought groceries and his chef is on call; the number is in the kitchen. Your car is in the driveway, keys on the console table in the foyer. He said to text him if you need anything else.”
I inhaled a breath. “All this—for me?”
“He also bought clothes and bathroom products.” There was a dark undercurrent to her tone—bitterness, though I wasn’t sure about what.
“How?”
“How what?”
“How did he do all that? In one night?” I was certain he’d been holding me last night. It felt—strange. To have someone taking care of me like this. Not since mom died.
“Money buys time,” she said simply, opening a closet door. “Towels are in here.”
With large windows and light Italian tile, the bathroom looked spacious. A claw tub sat in front of the window, and a large, standing shower ran the whole length of the room.
”Where is he?”
”Who knows? Off killing someone. Or he could be getting bagels. You never know with that man. Though…” she paused, hesitating, her eyes not meeting mine “…they found the bodies of the men who’d brought you here. They were left on the Magnolia Bank doorstep.”
I stared at her in astonishment, and, a little bit of satisfaction. “Alive or…” I couldn’t make myself finish the sentence.
She cleared her throat. “He left you a note, on the counter.” Turning away from me, not answering.
I stared after her a long moment, then, curious, I picked it up. Then scowled.
It was a list of rules:
Don’t go anywhere without consulting me first.
Eat food from the kitchen. Make sure it’s from the healthy foods provided. Send me a picture of your breakfast and lunch.
My office is off limits.
Dinner is at 5pm. Do not be late.
And, for fucks sake, don’t get kidnapped again.
I crumpled it in my fist, tossing it in the sink. Lux turned away, but not before I caught the beginning of a smile. “He’s a bit controlling, no?”
“I’ve hit brick walls with more flexibility than him.”
She snickered. “Well, it’s not just you, hon.”
“Is he your boss?
“He wishes,” she snarked, leading me back into the bedroom. The sun was bright, filtering through the large windows overlooking the bay. It must be at least midday.
“Then why are you here? Do you always comfort his kidnapped captives?”
”For Rook?” She laughed. ”God, no. Girl, that man”s not even touched a woman since I”ve known him. And especially someone involved in the Magnolia.” A dissatisfied look crossed her face, “He tends to stay as far away as possible from anyone within the company.” Was that a wistful tone in her voice?
“Oh. So just me. The man’s like a determined mosquito.”
“Well then girl, your blood must have a special flavor. And he can bite. But it ain’t no mosquito bite, that’s for sure.”
“Uh-huh,” I hummed, distracted, thinking about my house. How the Magnolia had lit it on fire, just to manipulate me into going to Rook.
I guess they’d been right. For some strange reason, Rook had a soft spot for me and I…
I clenched my hands into fists.
They lit my house on fire!And the firemen, they just stood there.
Waiting for permission to put it out.
I wanted to kill them!
And my mom. Oh my god. I just remembered. I’d been so focused on doing what they wanted that I… I hadn’t even had time to process it.
They’d killed her because dad tried to fight back.
And all those other people…
Who was I to stop them?
It was all so...
I was suddenly sitting on the bed, not able to keep on my feet.
I suddenly missed my dad.
It hit me then—a sudden realization. Despite him pushing me away, my struggles at that school, then later, looking after Callie, I now saw that he had been there in his own way. He’d taken care of me, in ways I hadn”t seen until this moment.
And now the Magnolia controlled me. After everything dad had done to get us out of it.
Lux sat next to me, sighing. ”I know. It”s a lot.”
”You tried to warn me, but I didn”t listen. And now I...I...” I bit on my lip, trying not to cry.
“I heard about your house,” she said after a moment.
I nodded, not looking at her.
“If it helps, Rook signed the contract with the Magnolia. Your contract.”
I snapped my head upwards, “When?”
“This morning. He was on his way there when he called me.”
“I feel so stupid.”
”You didn”t know,” she soothed, patting my hand, ”Honestly, I blame it on your father. He should”ve warned you.”
“You knew my dad?”
She glanced away, but squeezed my hand tighter. ”Yes. I knew him.”
”How?”
“Mmm,” she murmured, staring towards the window for a long moment. So long, that I thought she might not answer. But finally, she inhaled a slow breath, then looked back at me. ”I”m only telling you this because we”re at Rook”s house. He”s the only one I trust. Otherwise, I don’t even speak about the Magnolia.” She gave me a serious look, straight in my eyes. “To anyone.”
”Okay.” There was a sudden lump in my throat, a squeezing in my chest.
”The Magnolia is part of the Veritas, which is a…network. Of people. Their roots run deep--they”ve existed since before this country was even born. They keep to the shadows. Like a secret society.” Like Rook had tried to warn me. “And even though the outside world doesn”t even know they exist, anyone who is anything in this world knows about them.”
“But who are they?”
”I only know that the high ranking officials are mostly part of a large family. It’s all male dominated. Olivia seems to be an exception.”
“One she takes very seriously, the bitch.”
“I swear, I hate that woman.”
“I want to stab her in her eyeballs, sometimes.”
“Ugh, she has that haughty look she gets. Like she’s better than us.”
“She’s no better,” I agreed, “worse, if she thinks she is, when they run her life as much as ours.”
“Exactly.” Lux nodded her head. “She’s deluded.”
“What else do you know about them? Anything I can use?”
She shook her head. “Rook knows a lot more than I do, but I want to keep it that way. I don”t want to know who they are.”
“How did you even get involved with them?”
She pressed her lips in a firm line. Standing, she began to straighten a collection of things on Rook’s dressers. Some spare coins, a bottle of cologne. A pair of cufflinks. They were already in a straight line, but she rearranged them, and I wondered if that would bother him.
“I came to the Magnolia, just like you. I had plans, big plans, money all saved up and everything. I was going to go to New York.” She moved to the grey curtains, tugging them closed. “But then Kuru, my grandma, got sick. And I stayed. And, the bills, well…” She shrugged. “That’s how they get you.”
”Oh.” I glanced down at my hands, fidgeting with Rook”s oversized shirt. “Like the ravens.”
She nodded. “And, well, you don”t need to hear my life sob story, but my grandma has been the only person to ever take care of me. When she was diagnosed, and so late in her life, I had to do what it took to take care of her.”
I nodded, knowing exactly how she felt. ”That”s how I feel about Callie.”
”I know,” she said simply. ”And they courted me, just like they did you, except I...Well, my blood isn”t as pure as yours.”
”What does that even mean?”
”Hell if I know,” she chuckled ruefully, ”sounds like some kind of white bullshit to me.”
I laughed.
”Anyways, since my blood isn”t good enough, or whatever, I would”ve ended up in one of the pens, or something like that--”
“Pens?”
”It”s where they keep and traffic the sex workers. Out on some island near here.”
“Oh shit,” the blood drained from my face.
“But your dad saved me. He somehow got me a job working at the bank, where you met me. And that”s why I tried to warn you. To save you, just like he saved me.”
”So you knew who I was when you met me.”
She nodded, her lips tilting downward. ”I wanted to chase you out of there but they would’ve killed me. I’ve seen it happen first-hand. They control, manipulate, fuck, kill. Whatever they want and to whomever they want.” Her voice had gone low, her eyes menacing. She was pulling on the curtains so harshly—I was afraid she would rip the rod from the wall. It seemed that, despite Lux’s claims, she knew more about them than what she was letting on.
”And my mom?” I needed to know more about that night.
“I’m sorry,” she shook her head. ”I met your father only five years ago. I don”t know what happened to your mom.”
”And how do you know Rook? Through the company?”
She shook her head. ”Through your dad.”
My lips parted in surprise. ”My dad?”
She gave me a strange, confused look. ”Yes.”
“But...”
”You seriously don”t know?” There was genuine surprise in her tone.
“No. I don’t.” I looked around the room, as if it would give me clues to what she was talking about. The room was neat. Nothing out of place. Two nightstands on either side of the bed, with one lamp each. My purse had somehow made it here, and was leaning up against the lamp.
Cords to plug in electronics.
A bench at the end of the bed.
The sofa chair where Lux sat.
The door to the closet was open. From here, I could see a neat line of suits, black button-up shirts. There were probably a million black or silver ties in there.
Even the bed where Rook had been sleeping was made up. A pillow placed delicately on its side—a very familiar looking pillow. It didn’t match the rest of the light gray and white decor.
It was red and yellow, looked like it had come from some other place…
Exactly like… like the pillows that reminded me of my home. They’d been burned up in the fire.
”Did my dad know Rook?” I stared at that damn pillow.
He couldn’t have gotten it in some local store—my mom had brought them home from Indonesia.
“Look, I don’t usually do this,” she answered.
“Do what?”
“Get involved in Magnolia business. But I’m doing this as a favor to Rook, and to you, because of your…” she looked away, not finishing, “anyhow, Rook told me to tell you that he’s looking after your sister.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” I stood, meeting her eyes. “How does Rook know my dad? Why is he so invested in me?”
“Rook transferred money to Callie’s account. Enough to take care of her. To buy her a car, even.”
“Lux. Answer my question.”
She straightened. “He also wanted me to give this to you,” she nodded towards a slim, white box on the dressers.
A new MacBook.
“Why won’t you answer me?” I asked her.
“Because.” She shook her head. “Because you don’t fuck with the Magnolia, that’s what. They will do anything to get what they want.” She looked at her phone. “I need to go.” She began to leave.
“Why, Lux. Tell me. For my father.” I raced down the hall and down the stairs after her.
“Rook wants you to go to school. He suggested Europe somewhere.”
I pressed my lips into a thin line. “He’s always trying to get me to leave.”
“Baby, don’t you understand why?” She suddenly stopped, gestured towards the house. We were standing in the inner foyer—a place unfamiliar to me because I’d been unconscious when I was brought here, “After everything? Now that you know the truth.”
“You haven’t told me everything.”
“And I never will,” she replied firmly. “You will have to find answers for yourself. Ask Rook if you want to know.” She paused, the light from the mid-day streaming in through the doorway. “You going to be okay?”
I barely knew how to answer that. My whole world had been a lie, and every day I was growing closer to knowing what an idiot I’d been.
“Do you even care?”
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t care.”
When I didn”t answer her, she turned towards the outdoors, taking in a deep breath. ”If you want to leave right now, I would help you.”
”What do you mean?”
”You can go, right now. They might chase you, but I know...people. I have friends that can help you hide.”
I considered what kind of life that would be, always on the run, always looking over my shoulder. And what about Callie? And Benson? What kind of life would they lead?
“Thank you, but no,” I shook my head. “I can’t do that to my family.”
“I thought you would say that. I understand how important family is.” She nodded empathetically and turned to go, then paused. “My advice? Don’t trust anyone in the Magnolia. Even Rook. He’s dangerous, at the best of times.” With that, she gave me a sad smile. “See you around Summer. Hopefully, they don’t kill you any time soon.”
With that, she shut the door, leaving me in the darkness of the foyer.