“Okay girls and boys, today we will be rafting. Life vests and safety hats are mandatory, as are the safety talks. There will be four to a raft, plus one expert, and you will follow what we say or you will not be allowed to do this activity.”
The guy continues with his speech and I’m trying to stay focused but I keep straying to Emmet. He is like a ticking time bomb, and I’m not sure what is going to set him off. I’ve been curious about his mother for a while but I didn’t want to meet her like this. I didn’t even know I wanted to meet her.
“Come on, Tiny On. Let’s get ready.” Tucker wraps his arm across my shoulders and leads me to where we need to go and I follow along. My attention is split and I need to find a way to fix it before it causes problems.
The rafting was interesting, but I’m not in any hurry to do it again. The same goes for the rock climbing we did on the second day, but I loved the obstacle course yesterday. I can’t believe it’s already been four days, and we’ve already done so much. But what else is left?
“Apparently, we’re going horse riding today,” Tucker shouts from the living room, and my shoulders slump.
I have nothing against horses, but I really don’t want to do that today. The only upside is the comfy clothes, but silver linings don’t make everything better.
“Okay, I’m ready to go,” I say, he stands up and we walk outside but instead of going towards the groups, we’re headed towards a car.
“Tucker, are you leading me astray?” I say with a laugh.
“Always, Luna, always.”
We climb inside and it isn’t long before we’re driving down the dirt road and we keep going until we hit gravel.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“I am sick of being around all those assholes. Besides, why not do something for ourselves for a little while when Arthur isn’t around? Just consider yourself lucky he hasn’t turned up and you haven’t met Emmet’s mom yet,” he says as he shakes his head and tightens his grip on the steering wheel.
“Why, is she as bad as he is?” I ask without thought, which is kind of the norm when I’m with Tuck.
“Oh no, it’s just because of the way she is. It’s bad enough he’s dragged her here. There’s going to be a huge fight between father and son if, or when, he does arrive. She likes peace and quiet, and those Academy girl bitches are not going to keep what they’ve seen quiet once they get back to the Academy.”
“I don’t get it, what is wrong with her?”
“Phone, left pocket.” I pull it out and wait for further instruction. “Go to my photos and open up the family album. There’s a group one in there, with Michelle in it. She’s next to Emmet and you’ll know her when you see her.” His words hold an edge and a wave of unease washes through me as I look for the photo.
I have to zoom in once I find it, and I gasp once I find the woman he means. It has to be her, she’s the only one standing beside Emmet, and the only one who looks the way she does. How the fuck did that happen?
The Long Game or The End Game
Tucker
I thought she’d be asking questions, but then again, this is Luna. She isn’t rude and she’ll stay quiet until I give her the answers willingly. I’m not even sure it’s my place to tell her, but maybe just this once, it’s better for her not to go in blind.
“You already know what Arthur does to his wives. Well, some of them aren’t happy with the changes. Michelle was one of them. When he decided to trade her in for a younger, more appealing model, she begged him to put her back under the knife. She knew she couldn’t go back to how she used to look, but she could at least stop being a poor imitation of Selene. He laughed in her face ” I crack my knuckles against the steering wheel and her jaw tightens as she stares straight ahead. “He enjoyed knowing she was suffering, that she hated the way she looked. So, he walked away, with a signed prenup and left her with nothing. She couldn’t cope. She got drunk and wasn’t in her right mind when she got behind the wheel. We don’t know if she lost control or if she aimed for the tree. She went headfirst through the windshield and it shredded her face. It’s never healed right. Emmet has offered to pay to have it fixed, but she always says no. She’d rather be broken than look the way she did. She isn’t well, Luna, but she’s getting better, as long as she isn’t around Arthur.” My teeth are hurting from how hard I’m gritting them and even she looks as though she wants to punch something.
“That’s… messed up. No wonder Emmet said he doesn’t see me when he looks at her. I thought it was weird that he wanted a girl so similar to his own mother, but she was made to look like me. Besides, she’s so strong, and because of Sir’s obsession, it almost meant that Emmet no longer had her. But it isn’t just his sons who are affected by Sir, is it? I wish he could just let you guys live your own lives the way you want to. I’m sorry, Tucker, I know it doesn’t mean a lot, but I am.” She rests her hand on mine, and my throats clogs before I shake the feeling off.
“Enough of that, today is a happy one. We’re going to have a lot of fun and I’m going to help you lose one of your virginities.” Her cheeks blaze and I chuckle.
Sure, I could tell her that we’re going to a theme park, but where’s the fun in that?
My phone pings in her hand and I smile as a thought pops into my mind. I feel guilty for a moment, but just this once, I think it will be okay to risk it.
“Turn it off, Tiny One. I’m sure I’ll survive the next couple of hours without it.”
She presses a hand to her chest as she looks at me, with her tongue pushing against her cheek.
“Are you sure, Tuck? I mean, this is your lifeline.”
The cheeky little minx, but fuck, do I like her.
“I’m sure, now do as you’re told before I bend you over my knee and make it hard for you to sit for the next week or so.” Her cheeks flush even more and my dick jerks as I refocus on the road and continue to drive.
We’ll soon be there, and I’ll show her just how fun I can be. Roller coasters, water rides, the type that spin fast enough to give you double vision. We’ll hit them all.
We arrive after another twenty minutes and I have to drive around for a little while to find a space since it’s busier than I thought it would be. Oh well, it should still be a good day, busy or not, at least we’re here and not a bodyguard in sight.
I don’t know how I’ve gotten away with it for so long, usually Sir puts his foot down or I find them not so discreetly tailing me, but they haven’t been. It doesn’t make sense to me, but I’m not going to complain. He must think we’re safe, and that most people don’t know my face. Hence why I pay by cash when I can, and maybe that’s why he hasn’t interfered with Rachel yet. I thought he would have laid down the law, but he’s letting me deal with it, and I’m grateful for that, more than I can say.
We park and she jumps on the spot as I lock up the car and lead her over to the booth to get our wristbands. We head inside as soon as we’ve got them on and we go to the closest ride. It’s a fairly relaxed coaster, one with a cart that spins as it takes you around the track. We get on and the harnesses come down before she grabs a hold of my hand. I stare at them for a moment, until the ride starts to move and then we lose ourselves in the movement and the way people scream and laugh. She’s just smiling and I’m right there with her.