Chapter 34
Thirty-Four
Sugar Skull
“Is… this actually working?”
Zee and I hover behind Cherry’s back as she refreshes the inbox on her screen.
That’s twice.
Twice, I’ve kidnapped women from The Establishment.
While Zee’s plan worked out, I didn’t plan to kidnap Rosa.
Rosa wasn’t happy at first, but after calming her down, we convinced her to stay with us. Well, Zee did. It was her idea to soften her up with giant margaritas and a couple of fat joints. Then, after Rosa spoke with Cherry, Zee went in for the kill.
“Don’t you want more power?"
Rosa was in.
The only thing left was to get the other women of Eastmount on our side. We can't get every single one of them, so we focused on the women around campus. The ones closest to Emery.
First, it started with one response.
“I’m in.”
For hours, those two words were all we got.
It wasn’t until the early hours of the next morning that things changed.
“Leaving.”
“Can I bring my friends?”
When all their husbands fell asleep after a fat steak and a jerk, even more responses started rolling in.
“Is this real?”
“How long can I stay?”
“I didn’t expect so many responses,” Zee says, her mouth open in a way that I want to fill.
Focus.
“This is huge,” Cherry says.
We can’t take our eyes off the screen as more emails pour in.
They promised a “Sinful Vacation” out of Eastmount with copious amounts of wine, carbs, and a real Magic Mike or two. Zee expected ten or fifteen to be ready, but the numbers keep growing with each email we open.
They don't slow down. Cherry responds to each email with details, while Zee and I handle logistics. Credit cards, codes, ride confirmations. Hotel bookings of anything luxurious we could find and charge to their husbands. Gone is discretion. We’re rattling the fences.
Emery won’t ignore it.
I’ll admit, I’m not running the show anymore. Zee is. I’m taking her orders, and I’ll do that with a smile if she’s taking mine at the end of the night.
In two days, we managed to get fifty women from Eastmount into hotels, villas, and homes across the country. Vancouver, Halifax, hell, even St. John’s. The chaos is evident in the cameras we access around campus. Empty dining tables. Undone laundry. Unkempt homes.
Lonely men.
“They’re settled,” Cherry says, ending the last call with a hotel on Vancouver Island. “They’re already hopped up on vodka and edibles.”
“That escalated from a tasting menu.” Zee steps out of the bathroom in a towel, and the world stops.
My eyes linger on her.
Droplets drip from her coils down to her neck, my eyes following a stream that disappears beneath her cleavage.
I can’t help it as I approach her.
It takes two steps and a swoop before Zee is in my arms, her legs wrapping around me as I embrace her, pulling her in for a kiss.
“You did it.” My words fall against her lips as she settles into my hold. “An angel.”
I’ve gotten over the drugs and alcohol. The self-harm and riskier behaviour. But if this is what it feels like to have Zee, I’ll never recover.
Zee
I’m on a fucking high.
One I’d never thought I’d feel.
Not only did we help a bunch of dopamine-starved women find some freedom, but the men of The Establishment are at a loss. And Atlas isn’t one of them.
I’m learning he never was.
“I’ll be right back, you two,” Cherry says, heading to the suite door.
We're all in good spirits, and it's hard to believe why.
It wasn't meant to get this big.
I wasn't meant to fall in love. Not with my stalker. Not with a man who's so devoted to me he'll draw blood.
Not with a man who isn't scared by my acceptance of death. Or Murder.
“Who’s on the phone?” Atlas asks, still holding me in his arms.
She’s already out the door.
I squint.
She usually says who it is, but things are a little chaotic.
Atlas places me back on the ground, the two of us alone in the room.
“Stay low,” he says. A joint appears between us, held between two fingers. A fat one. “You should celebrate your wins.” I reach for it, a smile spreading across my face before he pulls it back. “Don’t let any cameras see you. Understood?”
It's not easy to ignore that feeling. The one where I expect the shoe to drop when things are going well.
Don’t be delusional.
You’re in love with your stalker.
This won't end well.
Father will end you both.
“Hey,” Atlas taps my cheek with two fingers, bringing me back to him. “You’re okay. We’re okay. We got this. And you’re mine, so I got you. Got me?”
The tension in my chest settles as I suck in a deep breath. “Yes, sir.”
"Good girl."
Taking the joint, I lean forward and press my lips to him, that warmth engulfing me again. “You sure you don’t want to join me?”
“I’ll stay here and keep an eye on the cameras. Don’t be too long. And take some music. Your headphones are in the bedroom.”
I move into the bedroom we’ve shared over the last few days. One side has clothes, old and new, thrown across the floor. The other is as neat as when housekeeping came in.
There's a lightness in my step when I head towards a new pair of headphones. Atlas brought it with him, like part of him knew he’d see me again.
There’s something attached to it, and it’s not my phone.
“It’s an iPod.”
Glancing back, Atlas leans against the door frame, topless with his arms crossed.
“It can’t be tracked.”
I laugh. “Your age is showing.”
"Oh, is it?" He takes a strong step towards me, his smirk growing. "Let me remind you what I can do."
I slip by him before he’s able to grab me. “Remind me when I'm back." It's been a while since I had a moment alone, and while everything is moving in our favour, it's all intense.
A smoke break alone is what I need. Atlas knows it, too.
“Hurry back,” he warns as I scoot out the door, the unlit joint between my lips. “Don’t keep me waiting.”
Walking down the stairs, I put the headphones on and hit play on a VEIL track already loaded on the device. Bass thumps in my ear as I make my way down the main hall, scouting where to go.
Exploring the lavish halls, I make sure to hide from any posh-looking clients. There’s no one else at this hotel from Eastmount except Rosa, Cherry and Atlas. We made sure that we could see if people weren’t safe.
My eyes stop on a door.
'Employees only.'
Perfect.
I push through into another long hallway. A cracked door at the far end lets in a cool, refreshing breeze.
No one’s in the hallway as I move towards it, passing the supply and linen rooms along the way.
When I’m at the door, I light up, leaning back against the wall. I keep the joint just outside, careful not to let the smoke drift into the hall.
My chest hums when I think about what we’ve accomplished. It feels so good to be part of this with Atlas, like we’re finally on the same team. But I don’t want to spend my life planning and scheming.
What I really want is safety.
Will that even come?
Thud!
A noise comes from behind me.
My body stills, my head whipping to it.
Scanning the hall, I wait for someone to come out, but I don’t see anyone.
With another puff, I lower the volume on my music as my eyes remain on the hall. Waiting.
Relax, Zee.
With a deep breath, I close my eyes.
Birds chirp beyond the doors.
A car drives by.
“They’ll come—me.”
A familiar voice fills the hall.
Cherry?
Pressing pause on my song, I lean towards the voice.
"Love you—but you must—"
It’s Cherry, for sure.
Putting out my joint, I move down the hall, following it.
Why is she taking her call way over here?
“—make you think—theirs?”
My eyes narrow, hearing another voice.
A man’s.
Moving closer, a jab strikes my chest when I hear his next words.
“You’ve always been mine.”
Father.
Emery.
He’s here.