Chapter 28
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
THEA
The room is dark when I wake up, the sound of dripping water in the background as my eyes try to adjust to my surroundings.
My back is stiff and my body is cold as though I fell asleep outside on solid ground—but that can’t be right.
I attempt to shift, but wince as I feel something rough dig into my wrists.
Rope? Zip Ties? What the hell is going on?
As panic begins to crawl up my spine, I try to sit up but stop short when pain shoots through my temple like a bad hangover. But I wasn’t drinking last night. Did I fall? Did I get hit? Or worse…
Before my mind can spiral, deliberately slow footsteps sound from somewhere to my left. “W-who’s there?” My voice cracks, throat dry. But instead of answering me, the footsteps stop short. And yet, that doesn’t stop me from feeling their ominous presence.
“You’re awake. Good.” The voice sounds familiar but the pounding in my head is making it impossible to pinpoint a face to match it—that is, until the dim overhead light flickers on. I close my eyes, assaulted by the sudden glow. When they finally adjust, my heart drops to my stomach.
“No,” I exhale.
The smile that spreads across his face is volatile. “And to think, you were so close. Naive girl. You really thought you could take me down?” He chuckles before backhanding me across the face. Tears well in my eyes at the sting as I feel something warm drip from my lip.
I’m about to speak when a hum of electricity fills the space.
My heart lurches. There’s a camera in the corner, its red light blinking steadily.
Either they’ve been watching me for however long I’ve been down here or they’re preparing a show.
The voice continues as he kneels down next to me, brandishing a knife that he brushes against my neck.
“It’s important you don’t scream. Not that it would matter. ”
But all search for words is lost as Harrison Clark plunges the knife into my skin—
The wind is knocked out of me when I come to and realize that I’m staring up at the ceiling from my floor. Grunting, I attempt to pull myself back up onto the bed from which I apparently fell off. It was just a dream.
“Are you okay, sugar?” The voice causes me to jump out of my skin, nearly sending me tumbling back down to the floor, but strong arms circle my waist and Nathan nuzzles my neck with his mouth.
“You scared me,” I say as soon as I catch my breath again.
He releases me and crawls back into bed, pulling me with him. “Sorry, baby. I had to use the restroom and only saw you picking yourself up off the floor. What happened?”
Telling him the truth will only make him worry more about sending me in with Clark and his buddies, and as much as I hate to lie to him, I have a feeling if I tell him that this dream felt more like a premonition, he will pull the plug and we will be dooming so many women and children.
“I must’ve been sleeping a little too good,” I jest as I plaster a fake smile on my face.
“I don’t think I’ve done that since I was a kid. ”
He looks at me warily for a moment, trying to find a crack in my facade because we both know that if I was really sleeping well, I wouldn’t have tossed and turned so much to end up on the floor.
“Well, let’s get a few more hours of rest. We’re going to need it.
” And with that, he lays us down and pulls my back into his front.
It doesn’t take long for his breathing to even out and I know he fell back asleep.
But I stay staring at the wall until our alarm goes off three hours later, unable to find that same peace he seemed to so easily slip into.
My nightmare wasn’t just a dream; it was as real as the person who inhabited it.
I was currently staring into the eyes of a monster.
Sitting prose with my legs crossed over one another in the chair I was currently occupying, I waited for Harrison Clark to make the first move.
When I arrived here half an hour ago, I was led to a small waiting area that was surrounded by several armed men who told me he’d be with me shortly.
The moment he walked in the door, his eyes raked up and down my body in a way that made the small meal I ate earlier rise in my throat.
I had to roughly swallow it back down and smile the way I’d been practicing.
He knows I wasn’t expecting to come face to face with armed men.
He’s judging my reaction, determining whether or not it’s worth it to bring me in even though they were the ones that extended this generous—gag—invite.
If I make one wrong move, they could get rid of me right now.
So here I am, being the submissive woman who doesn’t speak unless spoken to, because I know he likes them that way.
He leans forward then, resting a hand on the knee of my pantsuit, and I do my best not to stiffen at his touch.
Repulsed at the way his hand feels on my body and equally nervous he’s searching for my audio and visual aids, I do my best to act normal.
“I’m sure you have plenty of questions, Addison.
So I will do my best to answer them for you, starting with my armed guards.
I know they’re making you nervous and I just want to reassure you that they’re here for our safety. ”
“Our safety?”
He nods. “When you have someone in my position, as mayor, doing such high profile work, we have to take certain precautions.”
Oh, he’s good. “That makes sense, I guess.” Even though you’re a dirty fucking pig. “What are we doing here?”
“I’m so glad you asked. Noir House is reserved for the city’s most elite members.
We need money to help fund our ambitions.
I’ve decided to host a meet up here with some of the others who have been offered the opportunity you have and to showcase some of the work we’re doing that we aren’t quite comfortable sharing with the public yet.
You could go ahead and say they’re in their preliminary stages.
We want several volunteers to pair up with each notable donor.
” The one thing he’s forgetting to mention is that if Noir House was so elite, why was it located in one of the shittiest parts of town. But I have a part to play.
“Which is where I come in? It’s why you brought me here?”
“Precisely. Except instead of pairing you up with someone else, I’ve decided that I would like to keep you all to myself…” The hand on my knee climbs farther up my leg and chills break out despite my will to suppress my fear.
Swallowing my pride, I place my hand on his own as I say, “I’d be honored, sir.”
“Oh, my dear, it’s I who is honored. With a pretty thing like yourself on my arm tonight, backing my…vision, I have no doubt that we will have no problems bringing the most influential individuals’ wallets out.” His hand squeezes my thigh, closer than I’d like to my center.
Playing into my naivety, and to dig out some answers, I cock my head to the side. “What does that have to do with anything? I mean, my looks.”
“Because beauty isn’t just a decoration, darling.
It’s leverage. People will look at you, standing next to me, and it will make them want to be close to me.
There is a certain innocence in a beautiful girl that brings even the most hardened men to their knees.
Women will see you and want to be you. Gorgeous, smart, and kind.
And it will make them want to get involved in what we are representing. ”
I mull his words over in my head before giving him a shy smile. If beauty is leverage, then I plan on using mine against him. “Is there anything else I need to do?”
He finally removes his hand from my thigh and I have to stop myself from releasing my sigh of relief. “We’ll see.”
A knock comes at the door then, followed by Harrison saying, “Come in.”
The door opens a moment later and a woman, tailored to perfection, takes a step forward.
She has an earpiece in and is holding a clipboard.
I’m not sure what it is, but something tells me she’s here willingly.
Her face is stoic, unforgiving, as she purses her red-colored lips together before she speaks.
“Final walkthrough. They’re setting up downstairs and will be ready for you in fifteen. ”
She turns then, making eye contact with me, and a shiver runs up my spine at the cold calculation laying there.
When she leaves, Harrison gestures to me.
“You will stay by my side tonight. No wandering. No speaking unless you want to flatter or fetch a drink. Your purpose is to make the guests think you’re sharp, not difficult. ”
I clench my jaw slightly before offering a small and practiced smile. “Yes, sir.”
When we enter the stage, a slight applause welcomes us in, but instead of feeling warm, it’s like the temperature has dropped ten degrees.
The woman with the clipboard is standing stage center as the lighting in the room changes, dimming.
Not great for scoping out exits, but as long as I can keep my cool it should be okay.
“I’m thrilled to welcome you all here tonight.
You have the privilege to meet some of the most promising candidates in our care.
While we like to focus on the majority of our youth through Beyond Boundaries, we also like to bring them in personally to show you what we’re accomplishing with them.
Thanks to your generosity, they now have the opportunity to thrive. ”
I clap along with the crowd then, even as I fight my disgust. Harrison leans in then, his tone low. “This is only for optics. Nobody here actually cares what she’s saying. All they care about is seeing who’s new.”
Deplorable. Heinous. Inhumane.
The woman continues, “We like to place each child with a vetted individual, who is committed to their mentorship and development. You’ll meet some of them tonight, in fact. Just remember, your discretion is mandatory due to the high profile work we’re committed to.”