“Fuck off, Xavier,” I said. “I’m driving myself up-”
Xavier opened the back door and grabbed my bag and the dress.
“Hey!” I yelled.
“Don’t care!” Xavier yelled back.
He walked toward the other SUV.
I looked at Noah.
“At least I said please,” he said. “Let’s go. Now.”
I guess I had no choice.
I got out of Tank Two and walked side by side with Noah.
“Don’t hate me,” he said.
He touched my back and I elbowed him away.
“I’m done with you all,” I said. “You’re taking me to this knowing it might be dangerous. How is that protecting me?”
Noah didn’t answer me.
I walked to the back door and opened it.
Easton sat there with a smile on his face.
“Move over,” I said.
“This is my seat, Winter.”
“Move the fuck over!” I yelled.
Easton’s eyes went wide then he slid across the seat.
I got into the back and slammed the door.
Xavier looked at me in the rearview mirror.
I lifted both middle fingers for him to see.
Without a word, he started to drive.
When we got out of the driveway, Noah spoke up.
“She wants to know why we’re going there,” he said. “She wants to know how it’s protection if the person following her and us is there. I’m out of breath and can’t argue with her anymore.”
“I’m driving,” Xavier said.
I looked at Easton.
“Shit, you look ready to attack,” he said.
I lifted my hands and curled my fingers and showed my teeth.
I probably looked stupid.
But I wanted to feel like a vicious animal ready to kill.
Easton tried to touch my hand.
I pulled away.
He leaned toward me.
So I hit him.
Not as hard as I could.
Just enough as a warning.
More of a love tap kind of hit to the nose.
His eyes watered.
Noah turned his head.
“You’re next,” I said.
“What the hell is with you today?” Noah asked.
“Just talk,” I said, looking at Easton again.
“It’s really not that complicated,” Easton said. “You said someone is following you. We believe you, Winter. You’re not crazy. There’s been shit happening to us too. Which you know about. It’s gotten a little quiet but I can still feel it. Like I’m being watched. I know you feel that way too. The question becomes… why…”
“Yeah,” I said. “That’s obvious.”
“If this has something to do with money or power, we’ll find out up here,” Easton said.
“And me being there does what?”
“Let’s us keep an eye on you,” Xavier said.
“Oh, what, are you afraid I’ll end up kissing another guy?” I asked.
“No,” Xavier said. “I’m afraid you’ll end up dead.”
Everyone went silent.
I shivered.
Dead? Is that what you wanted, Xavier? You’re the one who suggested doing something to Tank. The three of you sat there in your shop and came up with a plan…
Easton touched my hand.
I gasped.
“Look, Winter, it’s not that difficult. If the person is up here, we’ll find out. Since you’re with us, you’ll be safe. This life is like playing chess.”
“You know how to play chess?” I asked.
“Actually, I do,” Easton said. “It’s a rite of passage when you’re rich and powerful. Because then you play chess in real life.”
“Face it, Winter, you’re ours now,” Noah said. “At least until some of this shit blows over. We’re not going to let you get hurt.”
I opened my mouth.
Easton talked again.
“If you stay back and the person following us is there, we can’t help you,” Easton said. “This is the only way to handle it. You’re going to eat the most expensive food in the world. Drink the most delicious drinks. Everything is set up outside, under giant tents with small twinkling lights. It’s so fucking elegant, you’ll lose yourself in it. And the back drop is the ocean. So just enjoy it, Winter.”
“Our gift to you,” Noah said.
I sat back and didn’t say a word.
Everything they said made sense.
Except I was the one who had set it up to have them messed with.
But someone was following me. Just me though.
As far as Noah’s comments went…
Our gift to you.
I rolled my eyes.
Gift for what? For trying to kill me?
I had nothing else to say.
I looked out the window and watched the world pass by.
There really was no turning back now, was there?
We arrived at the compound or land or estate or whatever the hell you wanted to call it.
It was a sprawling piece of property.
The main house almost resembled the castle.
The massive house was so beautiful and symmetrically built, it looked fake.
Everything about it looked fake.
There were workers outside tending to the gardens.
A group of men dressed in tuxedos with white gloves waited to help those arriving.
The sun was just starting to set, which meant there wasn’t much time to get settled in and think. Or plan.
“Tonight is more of a casual thing,” Noah said to me without looking at me. “We mingle. Say hello. Catch up. Then we go to sleep. Simple as that. Tomorrow is the big night.”
I nodded.
Xavier stopped the SUV.
Easton touched my hand. “Let’s go.”
We all got out of the SUV and I was kind of sandwiched in and around all the guys.
They didn’t bother to look back at the SUV as it was swarmed by people who were going to park the vehicle and bring our stuff to the room.
The room.
The one thing I really hadn’t put much thought into.
Where everyone was sleeping. How this was all going to work.
I cringed at how awkward that was going to be.
We entered the house and I almost let out a noise.
This was like if the castle had taken steroids.
It reminded me of a luxury hotel.
It was so big, open, clean, and full of echoes.
The grand staircase was the biggest staircase I had ever seen.
“Who owns this place?” I asked Noah.
“A guy,” he said. “We may or may not see him. This is about mingling. Just stay close.”
Everywhere I looked, there were people.
All dressed fancy.
Sipping from tall glasses.
Workers in tuxes walked around with trays of food and drink.
Someone even carried a tray for people to put their garbage on.
They were all stone faced, with the same hair style, look, everything.
Like they were paid to act like robots.
“Should we go to the room?” I asked.
“Why?” Easton asked. “Eager for some fun?”
“Shut up,” Xavier said.
He nodded.
We all stopped walking.
A man and a woman looked right at us.
The woman was in an elegant gold dress. Looking old but still pretty. A forced kind of pretty. The man was older with a scowl on his face.