7. Raegan
Chapter seven
Raegan
“Mrs. Callahan!” Kellan’s raised voice announces just outside the doorway to the teacher’s lounge.
My hand jerks and coffee spills over the cup. Crap! She’s earlier than usual.
I finish pouring both cups of coffee and then grab the nearest towel to wipe up the mess. My heart is pounding in my chest at the chance of being caught, but the adrenaline merely brings a wild grin to my face. Kellan will keep her out; I’m sure of it. He has my back.
“…and you look so, so…nice…today. I love the floral print.” Kell schmoozes in his deep voice that would make even the most uptight of teachers breathless.
I’m used to it enough to keep my focus, although I won’t deny a certain heat sparks beneath my skin whenever he uses that tone.
It makes me happier than I’d ever admit to him he refuses to call anyone beautiful but me.
Once both cups are made with sugar and creamer the way we like it, I sidle up to the wall next to the door and wait for Kell’s gaze to check on me. He smirks when he sees me, then turns back around to face Mrs. Callahan.
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you, actually. Can we talk in here? It’s…private. I don’t want anyone else to overhear.” He lowers his voice conspiratorially while waving his hand behind his back for me to slip out.
I hurry out in the opposite direction of them, counting on Kellan’s large frame and off-putting words to distract her. I sneak a glance over my shoulder to see him using his body as a shield for me while he guides her into the teacher’s lounge.
He’s only fifteen, but already he’s reached six feet and looms over most of the staff and students here. His shoulders are broad, and his muscles developed from either a crazy metabolism, or as a side effect of his gift, which he only helps by working out daily on top of it.
Pair that with his bronze skin tone, messy dark-brown hair, and roguish grin, and it’s game over.
I make it to the cafeteria and slide into my seat next to Dane with the end seat open for Kellan.
Vera leans over Dane to look at my spoils and then rolls her eyes at me. “Really? You’d risk detention and extra work for that crap?”
My arms wrap protectively around the two Styrofoam cups on the table while I hover over them to keep them from view. I lift the one for myself and bring it to my lips. The hot, earthy bitterness sweeps over my tongue and nearly burns down my throat in my rush to drink it. I moan softly at the taste I haven’t had all week and have been missing.
It’s not fair that only the adults are allowed to drink this stuff. Kellan stole me some once, and I was hooked. But getting any is always a risk, so we try to limit it to once a week.
Vera huffs and sets her drink down on the table. “If you’re going for discreet, you’re failing with all of that moaning.” She stands and moves behind me, leaning down to whisper, “Unless you’re hoping for a different type of attention.”
My head pops up from my coffee. Jack’s giving me a small smile across from Dane, and Aiden’s no longer focused on the latest business book he’s reading. His chocolate gaze is locked on me.
Dane smirks, leaning his elbow on the table and his head on his hand as he watches me. “Back off, Ver. She can make whatever sound she wants. If anyone else dares to say or do anything, we’ll take care of it.”
She chuckles and ruffles her brother’s hair. “Oh, I’m sure you will, little brother.”
“Hey!” He knocks her hand away, but she’s already whispering in my other ear to keep her words private.
“Let me know when you’re ready for some girl talk, Rae. I think it’s time, don’t you?”
My cheeks heat at the insinuation. I bite my lower lip and turn my head to look at her. She tosses me a wink and a wave and then struts away from the table.
I’m not sure how she seems so confident about boys. Maybe when I go visit the guys at night, she’s spending time with someone in her class?
The breakfast hour ends with no sign of Kell.
“Relax, Rae. I’m sure he’s fine,” Dane tries to soothe me while we stand and clear our table. I cling to Kellan’s coffee cup that’s already gone cold.
“He should’ve been here a long time ago. Did he get caught?”
Dane shrugs. “Maybe he and Mrs. Callahan are still fucking.”
I smack his arm. “Don’t even joke about that. He wouldn’t—” My words cut off when I catch the smirk on Jack’s face. I rush over to him and tug at his sleeve. “Do you know something, Jack? He isn’t banging the teacher, is he?”
He pushes the hair in my face behind my ear, his smirk growing wider. “Why do you ask? Would that bother you, little one?”
“Yes! I mean…because it’s a teacher and…does that mean he is?”
Jackson chuckles. “Right. Only because it’s a teacher.” His blue eyes twinkle mischievously, but I don’t bite. That is the only reason I’m concerned.
One hundred percent.
Maybe more like ninety…or seventy. Whatever!
“Do you want me to check on him?” he asks, canting his head to the side to watch my reaction while waiting for my answer.
“I’ll find him and make sure he’s okay,” Aiden cuts in, snapping the book closed and passing it to Jack with a nod.
Jackson sneaks the books out of one of the teacher’s rooms one at a time, returning the previous one after Aiden’s finished with it. The books in our library are about things we’ll never find useful. Like learning about weather and mitochondria.
Aiden has higher aspirations once we turn eighteen and get off this island.
If they actually do what they’ve promised us.
The guys don’t quite believe it. I’m starting not to either.
“Hurry up and get to class and I’ll meet you there,” Aiden adds. We nod, trusting that he’ll fix any problem Kell might be in, and start walking. I drop Kellan’s coffee cup in the trash regretfully at the door.
“Wait.” Aiden grabs my wrist to stop me. Both Dane and Jackson stop too, but he waves them on. “Give us a minute.”
Once they’re out of hearing range, or at least Dane is since none of us know Jackson’s actual range, Aiden turns to face me.
“You and Kellan need to tell me when you’re doing things like this so I can make sure you both don’t get in trouble.” His voice is low and smooth like melted chocolate. It’s pure ear candy to listen to.
I smile playfully up at him. I’ve had the biggest crush on Aiden for years , and it seems the only way to get more of his attention is by pulling stunts like this. Doing things he wouldn’t ‘approve’ of just so he can pull me aside to tell me not to do it again. “But the risk is half the fun.”
His hand slides beneath my ear with his thumb resting on my cheek.
My body stills at the contact. Tingles radiate down my neck, and I suppress a warm shiver. He leans in, stealing away the oxygen between us.
“I don’t want anything to happen to you. We know there’s more going on here than they’re telling us, remember?” he croons softly.
I nod the barest amount. I can’t speak right now. All the breath has been sucked from my lungs.
He smiles when I comply. “Good. If I catch you and Kell doing something like this again without warning me, then I’ll have a punishment of my own for both of you.”
My knees wobble. Why does that sound more like a promise than a threat? Is it both? Can I want both? It feels like my skin is on fire and my heart is melting into a puddle between my legs. Is this normal?
“Well?” Aiden prompts when I don’t respond.
I’m not sure how I’m supposed to reply to that, so I just nod to avoid anything strange coming out of my mouth instead.
His thumb strokes my cheek, and it feels like a reward, before his hand disappears and I almost release a sound that I know I’ll regret. “I’ll find Kell and make sure he’s okay, so don’t worry about him.”
“Okay.”
He waits for me to scurry back to where Dane and Jack are waiting for me before he goes the opposite direction to find Kellan.
My heart hammers in my chest, drowning out anything else as we walk.
I don’t think Aiden’s realized the effect he has on me. If that was what I got for sneaking some coffee without telling him about it, then I am definitely doing that again.
A knock at my door startles me out of my memories. I’ve been thinking about my time on the island far too much since seeing Jack again. I’m sure it doesn’t help that there’s a high chance I’ll be seeing him or the others tonight at the gala, and it’s almost all that’s been on my mind when I’m alone.
I’ve tried to distract myself downstairs at Hype by giving Elias as much information about Gifted Enterprise and how they operate as I can and working the bar in the evenings.
Elias got an invite for himself with the information I gave him about GE and his own connections, or maybe it was waving around enough cash, so I’ll be his plus one.
There’s another knock, and I grab my gun from the counter. I click the safety off as I approach the door and peer through the peephole. Elias stands there in a suit with a bag hooked over his shoulder.
I open the door, my gun still steady at my side but aimed at the floor, and frown at him. “You’re early,” I say in an accusatory tone.
He takes in my dress and sighs. I’m wearing an A-line red dress that lands mid-thigh and poofs out with extra tulle under the skirt. There are fake diamonds sewn haphazardly all over it in no discernable pattern, and its sleeves are just two pieces of extra tulle draping down my arms. I’m pretty sure it’s a crappy prom dress from ages ago, but I found it cheap at a consignment store and figured the fake diamonds glammed it up enough for a gala .
Based on his expression, I guess not.
He whips the bag in his hand out from over his shoulder, and it crashes into my chest. “Absolutely not. Put this on. You’ve got twenty minutes and then we’re out the door.” He brushes past me into the apartment and takes a seat on the living room sofa as if he owns the place.
Well, I guess he does.
I glance at the see-through bag and shrug. Maybe I can pawn this navy blue dress off at the consignment store with the red one after I’m done. After clicking the safety back on my gun and closing the door, I retreat to my bathroom to change.
This one is a long, navy-blue sheath dress with a sweetheart neckline, the barest of sleeves, and a flowing train behind me. The glitter or whatever is sparkling in a thin layer over the blue fabric is beautiful rather than tacky. It’s mesmerizing. I never would have been able to afford this. So maybe I’ll give it back to Elias when I’m done as a thank you for letting me wear something so nice once in my life.
Maybe.
I’d be tempted to keep it if it wouldn’t take up so much space in my backpack.
I switch up my hairstyle to a fancy updo with soft blonde curls and waves framing my face and then fix my makeup with a smoky shadow to make my blue eyes pop.
I’m back in the living room with a couple of minutes to spare. Elias gives me a once-over and nods his approval. I’m expecting some heat between us; anything, considering we’ve slept together before and now I’m all dolled up, but he looks at me like this is just business, and all I can see is a nice guy helping me out. Just…nada. Zilch.
I shouldn’t be disappointed that we won’t be sleeping together after what I’m sure will be a heck of a night between getting close to employees of Gifted Enterprise and seeing old friends who despise me, but there it is.
Somehow, Elias feels more like a reliable friend than an ex-bed partner.
“I’m glad I got the measurements right. I’m usually good at guessing those, but dresses can be a bit more complicated.”
It fits like a glove.
He stands, pulls a box from his suit jacket, and opens it to reveal two silver dangling earrings and a matching necklace with a sapphire teardrop. “This is just on loan, so I’ll need these back,” he clarifies while my mouth waters at the prospect of how much these might go for. He taps my chin to close my mouth, and I swallow.
Right. Just borrowing them.
“Got it.”
He moves around me to place the necklace on my neck while I fiddle with getting the earrings in place. They’re heavy fuckers, and I’m wondering again how much they’re worth. And how much my current alliance with Elias is worth.
Unfortunately, his help in getting me closer to GE has been more valuable than anything I could pawn the jewelry for, so he wins.
He’s a perfect gentleman and escorts me downstairs, where a black town car is waiting for us with a man in a suit holding open the back door. Elias helps me in first and then goes around to the other side to take his seat.
“So, what’s your plan for tonight? Is there anyone in particular you want to speak with? I’ve no problem talking to anyone, but if you’re looking to start a fight or a fire, I’m a bit more limited,” he begins after the car starts moving and the divider is up between us and the driver.
I rub my hand against my thigh where I can feel the strap that’s holding my gun and a blade between my legs. I wish I could have fit more weapons than my gun and three knives, but this dress and the strappy heels made those a challenge. This is the closest I’ll be to this den of monsters in five years, and no number of weapons I wear in there will ever feel like enough.
I was broken when they had me, and I’ll never let them touch me again.
“This is just intel gathering. So, names, faces, rank, or roles.” I debate telling him about the possible complication I might encounter, and my hand involuntarily squeezes my thigh.
“What else?” he prompts me to continue. I look up at him and see him eyeing my grip. I quickly release it. “There’s obviously something else on your mind. If you want support in there, tell me.”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “I’m pretty sure some people from my past will be there as well. There’s…some animosity between us. I’m hoping to avoid them if that’s at all possible, but if not…”
Elias nods with understanding and finishes for me. “You need someone to get you out of there?”
“Just out of the confrontation. I’m not going there for them, so I don’t want this to interfere with my mission. If you can get us out of the conversation, then that should be enough.” Hopefully. I have no idea what they think of me after these years. If the hate burns just as strongly or even more so than when we last saw each other.
Aside from Aiden and now Jackson, I haven’t spoken to Kellan or Dane since I was forced to tell them I killed Dane’s sister.
If I have to bump into any of them tonight, let it be anyone but Dane.
I don’t know if I have the strength in me to stop him if he decides to kill me.
Please let me escape this city without seeing him . I can handle the others. Just…not him.
The car pulls up in the line in front of the museum, and we wait our turn to get out. There are bright lights and cameras flashing when Elias opens my door, and I grip his arm more tightly than I intended to. I’ve spent the last few years in hiding and keeping my face out of pictures or the public eye to avoid being found.
Now here I am, having my photo taken for some stupid gala.
Great.
Elias seems to notice me curling myself into him more to avoid my face being captured, so he wraps his other arm around me and hustles us through. I can hear him greeting those around us with a smile on his face, but he keeps everything short and moves us along until we’re inside.
He drops his arm and then tilts my face up, his eyes analyzing my face.
“I’m fine.” I release his other arm and step back. “Stop searching for shit.”
“Lie,” he counters smoothly, reminding me of his gift. He pulls two sleek, black masks from his jacket pocket and hands me one. “You believe GE will see your photo and come after you before you’re ready?” he surmises in a hushed tone.
I nod solemnly and put the mask on. He’s observant as hell.
“I apologize. I should have considered that earlier and given you your mask before we left the car. That’s on me.” He relieves a passing server tray of two champagne flutes and hands me one.
Shrugging, I take a sip while scanning the arriving guests. The masks vary from animals, to jesters and royalty, to over-the-top accessories that spread well-beyond their heads.
The masks are great news for me, but it will be harder for me to memorize faces if all I can see are their eyes and mouth. Some masks cover their entire faces, and with makeup around their eyes to blend into the mask, it’ll be impossible for me to know what they look like.
As if reading my mind, Elias leans down to whisper in my ear. “I’ll keep an eye on body language when we meet with people, but getting them to share about themselves is going to be your best bet.” He offers me his arm. “Now, time to mingle?”
I down the rest of the champagne in one go, exchanging it for a fresh one from another server’s tray. I have a feeling I’m going to need the buzz to get through tonight and loosen up a bit. “Yup. Mingle time. If I keep disappearing, it’s to write information down for myself for later.”
His blue-grey eyes sweep me from head to toe, and he gives me a puzzled look.
“My thighs,” I answer his question with a teasing tone, and when he blanches, I straight up cackle at him. “I brought a pen and paper. Relax.”
Elias grins and shakes his head. “I never know what to expect with you.”
I pat his arm. “That’s probably for the best. Keeps you on your toes.”
Getting information out of people becomes easier as the night wears on and the drinks keep flowing, doing the hard work of loosening tongues for us. The donors are the easiest to speak with because they’re oblivious to what they’re actually giving their money to. A waste of time, really, so we move on quickly once we’ve identified that’s all they are.
The GE employees we come across are more tight-lipped, but Elias is charming, and he can get a few to share bits of information that I’ll piece together later. I have a handful of names to research after this, and I take it for the win it is.
On my way back from the restroom to jot down the latest name and information into my notes, I hear a scuffing noise and freeze. The hallway around me is clear, but I’ve been on the run long enough to trust that I heard what I did. I slip around the corner into a dark hallway and curse Elias for the long dress as I gather it up and out of the way, reaching for my knife when a hand covers mine over my thigh and another covers my mouth.
My body reacts on instinct, jerking to throw the person off of me and jabbing at their midsection to aim for their kidneys. There’s a faint grunting noise—male—and then my arm is pinned to the wall with his body.
“I just want to talk,” a familiar, velvety voice murmurs into my ear. He smells like cinnamon and freshly baked apple pie, which throws me for a second until he speaks again. “Let go of the weapon, Raegan.”
Aiden.
I knew they would be here tonight, but I’d been so consumed by talking to everyone possible that I’d forgotten.
Jackson may be willing to let me walk away, but my last encounter with Aiden didn’t end well for me.
I play along and relax myself, pulling my hand away from my thigh holster as he loosens his grip on me. As soon as I’m free of him, I shove off the wall and slam my shoulder into his chest to knock him back and then tear down the hallway.
My hands scramble at my dress as I run and try to get under the heavy fabric to reach for my blade again. Fuck long dresses. I’m never wearing them again. I finally get it out of its sheath when arms wrap around my shoulders and waist from behind, yanking me back into him.
I kick my foot back to try and nail him between the legs, or at least stab him with my heel, and he shifts in time, so I only catch his thigh. He curses and shoves into the backs of my knees to drop me, then pushes me against the wall while I’m off-balance. His body covers mine, pinning my legs and arms against the cool wallpaper.
“For fuck’s sake, Raegan,” he hisses. “You always make shit more difficult than it has to be.”
He huffs at me when I glare in his direction, even though there’s hardly any light to see by. I can’t see if he has a weapon aimed at me either. If he thinks I’m going to go down quietly, then he has another thing coming.
But then, my mind and body don’t always work on the same page.
Even with my life possibly on the line, my body comes alive at the feel of him against me. At his hot breath and smooth tone in my ear. At the almost sweet but delicious smell of him around me. I have to fight the urge to grind back against him. Fuck it. Maybe I’ll do just that to scare him off.
I shift my ass the tiniest bit so that it’s leaning into him, and he grips my hair. I’m forced to suck in my lips to keep any sounds to myself while also cursing him to the moon and back in my head for affecting me like this. This is not a turn on. And especially not with him .
Not when it reminds me of all the times he’d been close to me like this before.
When he’d kissed me senseless.
Even after all the time that’s passed and the guilt that weighs heavily in my mind, my body is transported right back to how it felt being near him before as if no time has passed.
“What are you doing?” he demands. Like I’m a crazy ho rubbing up on him when he’s trying to…I don’t even know what yet. Kill me? Threaten me?
Shit. That’s exactly what I’m doing, isn’t it?
Why does he have to smell so good and feel so good, though? Why can’t he smell like trash?
Why can’t my body forget him?
His breath tickles the back of my neck and it’s goddamn hard to suppress my shiver, but I manage it. “What are you doing in this city, Raegan? Are you working on a job for GE?” His voice is like cognac. Smooth and strong and so easy to get drunk on.
I focus on his words instead. On the confirmation that he still believes I’m working with the enemy.
I don’t know why seeing Jack again made me think things might be different after so much time. That maybe they’d realized something had to be wrong. Did any of them ever question what I said and wonder if there was more to it?
Tears threaten to choke me, but I force them back .
It’s better this way. I can’t tell them the truth about what happened back then.
“I’m not working with them,” I tell him, steel in my voice. “I’m hunting them. Let me do what I need to do and then I’ll be gone before you know it.”
There’s a pause like we’re both holding our breaths before he breaks the silence, his voice soft and deadly. “Am I supposed to believe you’ve changed sides? That GE was worth killing Vera for, but something else changed your mind?”
Gritting my teeth against the truth, I force out, “Believe whatever you want. I’m telling you that I’m here against GE.”
His fingers tighten in my hair, drawing a subtle gasp from my lips. “Unfortunately, you’ve already broken my trust before. I’m not taking that risk again where someone else gets killed. Leave this city, and I’ll leave you alone. But if I see you again, consider us enemies.”
A stab in the gut would hurt less than the words he whispers like poison that floods my veins. I knew if I ever saw them again, it would be like this.
It doesn’t matter whose side I’m on now. It doesn’t erase what I did.
This is the way it should be.
I harden my heart and fortify the wall between me and them.
“We already are,” I whisper, my voice thick with emotion.
“Is everything alright over here?” Elias interrupts, and Aiden quickly releases me and steps back. Light suddenly fills the hallway from an open room where Elias has turned it on to better illuminate us .
Aiden’s hands are already perched in the pockets of his black pressed slacks as if we’d been standing in the dark having a casual conversation. His brown hair is short and styled back, but aside from height and build, he looks just like he had when I’d seen him last. His eyes are cold as he looks at Elias like another enemy. Do they know each other?
“Everything’s fine. Just old friends catching up,” Aiden answers smoothly.
Elias moves to my side almost protectively, and Aiden visibly stiffens. Annoyed that I may have an ally? “I see. Well, I’ve been looking for my date for a while now, so I hope you won’t mind that I’ll be stealing her back.” He smiles tightly and takes my hand in his. I let him because there’s nothing more I have to say to Aiden anyway. He squeezes my hand, but I’m not fluent in what the heck that means, so I squeeze it back to say that I’m fine.
Elias pulls me away from Aiden without another word. My neck prickles with the feeling of him watching us all the way down the hall. I hate giving him my back after just declaring us as enemies, but it’s also good to show him that I’m not scared of him.
Not now. Not ever.