Chapter Four
Roe
Katie's car is fine as fuck. I don't know much about them, but the shiny, champaign exterior and fresh, white leather interior is a stunning combination.
She smiles over at me now. "I know the circumstances that brought us together are not… ideal, but I really am so glad we have found each other," she says, reaching out to squeeze my thigh.
I immediately tense. It isn't her; I'm just not used to physical interaction.
I shift in my seat. Katie seemingly takes the hint and removes her hand.
"It really is going to be great, us living together, you know?" she says conspiratorially. "I'm still young. I'm sure we will find we have a lot in common."
She sends me a grin which I return with a smirk.
"I sure hope that includes getting high. I haven't had a hit in so long."
When Katie sends me a horrified look, I smirk again, halfheartedly this time .
"Kidding," I say. Not.
After a couple of moments of awkward silence, the gentle purr of the engine the only sound, Katie squares her shoulders and tries at conversation anew.
Fan-fucking-tastic. I mean, I am not opposed to getting to know Katie, she seems like an all-right chick, but the last 24 hours have been a lot to handle. I could really use that joint to get through this car ride.
"So, I know your schooling has not been as… consistent as it should have been," Katie begins, and I roll my eyes. My schooling has literally been non-existent for the past few years. Katie continues, "So I have organized a tutor for you, after school hours of course. His family have been close friends of ours for years and Trent is a lovely boy. He has even volunteered for you to car pool with him as well, just until we get you your own car. I was thinking we could look at some cars in the city on Saturday, is that cool with you?"
She sends me a beaming smile, but I am still gaping. "You're buying me a car?" I ask, the initial boredom of the conversation doused with a bucket of ice-cold water.
"Of course, Roe. We are family," she looks at me with a sad smile and seems to be about to reach for me again before she moves her hand back to the steering wheel. "We are all that's left."
Belatedly, I realize she is right. The 30 seconds of thinking I had no family left was harrowing; I don't know what it must have been like for Katie. She is barely an adult, and her parents are gone. She had a brother she never really knew, so the loss there would not be as potent. She must have been ecstatic when she found out about me.
"You will also have a weekly allowance, of course," she continues, my eyebrows rising impossibly further. "Our family is incredibly wealthy, but since the death of my parents, your grandparents, it has been difficult to maintain the Nixon name, me being a woman and all. It is a different world in Double Bay. I have a business plan in place. I just need to get it past the Elder Dukes."
"OK, what the fuck is with all these titles?" I ask with a snort. "And what is the difference between the charming Dukes we met at the airport and these Elder ones?"
I must admit, my first impression of Katie was posh, rich, and snobby, but I am starting to see there is more to her than meets the eye. Yeah, she dresses like she is about to meet the Queen of England, and she talks like any proper lady would, but she has a hidden streak of stubbornness within. I fucking love it .
Katie sighs. "Double Bay is a world unlike the one you are used to," she says. "The men who own this town are powerful. Like, really powerful. To go against them would be suicide, and I do not mean that metaphorically, Roe. The Dukes are the real deal." She looks at me with eyes half pleading, half anxious. "As to the Dukes, they are the Elder Dukes' heirs. Their sons. Brett Leacher, Lawson Hawthorn, and Western Mazzuchelli."
"Didn't you just say you're going against them?" I huff, choosing to ignore the heir talk for now.
"No, I'm trying to work with them, not against," she clarifies.
Ok, then. Her stubborn streak only goes so far.
"I meant what I said, Roe," Katie continues. "These men are powerful people. Stay in their good books."
We are cruising away from the stuffy suburban streets and into rich people's territory. Kings and Queens, hell, Dukes, for sure. These mansions were huge . I'm talking hedges as far as you can see, perfectly trimmed with not a leaf out of place, wrought iron fences taller than I had ever seen, and, hell, some of them even had guard stations.
I spy limousines and Lamborghini's, sleek and shiny, in every color imaginable. Most of the houses cannot be seen from the road, but the ones I do catch glimpses of could surely house a hundred people. How in all sweet hell do they even keep those places clean?
Right , I think, they pay people to do it for them .
Getting back on topic, I tear my gaze back to Katie, who is shooting weary looks my way.
"So, let's get this straight, if a Baby Duke told me to get on my knees in a public bathroom and suck his cock, I should drop and blow?" I ask, smirking when Katie's cheeks begin to glow red. "No wonder bitches be carrying mouthwash around in their bags."
Katie's eyes bulge, sure as hell connecting the dots from what I'd said at the airport.
"Uh- well… I hardly think that kind of situation would arise," she finally gets out, straightening her back.
I scoff but refrain from commenting. We both know those situations could and have most definitely occurred. These are powerful men we were talking about.
The car begins to slow and Katie eases it into a limestone-paved driveway. Two modest but stylish barnyard-style gates swing inwards as we approach.
"Remote controlled," Katie explains at my awed expression, giving the keys in the ignition a tap .
I just nod silently. To be honest, I am at the tip of the iceberg right now, ready to take the plunge if any new shocking revelations were to crash into me.
Katie's home (I suppose it is my home now, too) is beautiful. The driveway ends in a circle surrounded by rows of blood-red roses. A fountain in the center, featuring a semi-naked woman pouring water from a vase, completes the Victorian-esque feel.
The house itself is diffident yet perfectly posh, with glowing white pillars and polished grey slats. The simple beauty of the three-story home made the hovel my father had owned look like an outdoor dunny. A stinking, tin, cockroach-ridden, outdoor dunny.
Katie brings the car to a stop by the steps leading to the front door before turning expectantly to me.
I gulp.
"I feel like I should be calling you Your Majesty and asking if I can polish your shoes or make you some tea or something," I finally say, letting the awe float through me .
Katie laughs. She has a pretty smile, I realize. Her thin lips opened to reveal pearl-white teeth as straight as could be. A budding dimple also makes an appearance.
"Welcome home, Roe," she says, and despite the exhaustion weighing on my shoulders, I find myself smiling back. A feeling swirls through my chest, and it takes me a moment to pinpoint what it is. It is an emotion I don't think I have ever felt before. It is both light and heavy. Soft yet firm. Solid but not.
Hope .