We follow the bodyguard back down the narrow trail and come out on the bridle path. He leads us towards the lake where a boat is waiting next to the dock.
Not Cooper’s speedboat. A bigger one that has a cabin.
We sit on a loveseat as the boat makes its way across the water and it occurs to me that I have not been back over to this side of the lake since the last time I left the Glass House.
Cooper holds my hand as he leads me up the lawn surrounding his family mansion and I briefly look over at Mona’s patio. Not expecting her to be there, but she is.
Smoking, of course.
“Have fun, kids,” she calls to us.
Neither Cooper nor I say anything back to her, both of us focused on what comes next. He probably has some idea. He, at the very least, has been there before. I haven’t. So I have nothing to compare it to.
We cross the narrow blacktop road, but instead of taking the path that leads to the Glass House, we walk down the road a little until Cooper finds another path. One I think I took that very first time I went into these woods at the beginning of summer.
The bodyguard stays behind us. He doesn’t give us any directions, but Cooper doesn’t seem to need them. And then, before I know it, I see light up ahead. And as we get closer, I realize that the path is lit up with torches on either side leading up to the clearing where the tomb lives.
There are dozens and dozens of people around. Talking and laughing. Servers are going by with trays of champagne and I spy Victor carrying one over to a small group of men.
“Where’s Isabella?” I ask, suddenly remembering she’s part of this too.
Cooper stops and looks around and then his gaze locks on the far side of the tomb where the Chairman, the Judge, and the Mayor are standing in a small circle with Isabella and Mr. Huntington in the center.
He leads me in that direction.
She is still very put together, but after my foray into the forest and semi-sacrilegious fucking on a stone throne, I’m feeling a little out of sorts. “Do I look OK? Is my hair a mess? Do I have come on my lips?”
Cooper stops and laughs. Then turns to study me in the firelight of torches. “You look very just-fucked and you should just own it.”
I laugh. “OK.”
He takes a deep breath. “Are you sure about this?”
“Are you worried?”
“Of course, I am, Cadee. People keep secrets for a reason. And tonight, a few things are most certainly going to happen. One. We will learn a secret. Two. After we learn it, we will be part of a secret. And three. All these people will be in on our secret. So… if you’re having any second thoughts, now is the time, Cades. You can’t unlearn secrets. We’re still getting out, but we’ll both be in once this night is over. At least for a little bit.”
“Is this the new version of ‘It only gets worse from here?’”
He nods. “It is.”
“I want a secret, Cooper. I deserve one. I’ve earned one. My parents were a part of this and they never told me a single thing about it. It’s not fair. I’m not walking away until I understand what they were doing here.”
“Maybe they just got stuck here? And then your dad found out about Dane and your mom found out about your dad, and they were a threat. So the threat was eliminated.”
“It’s a harsh way to put it.”
“It is. But it’s probably true.”
“It might not be true. We don’t actually have proof of any of that. Those files you found didn’t have anything about my father finding out about Dane. We just assumed.”
“It’s the most logical explanation.”
“True. But I need proof. I’ll be fine. Do not worry about me tonight. This is my decision. We can talk about it tomorrow, but tonight—do not stop me, Cooper. I want to see what the fuck is happening over here. And not even Lars was invited to this, so it’s something big. Right?”
He nods. “I think so.”
“Then I’m staying. I’m fine. My eyes are open. I’m going in prepared.”
“Cooper!”
His father has spied us in the crowd and is waving us over.
“Last chance, Cadee.”
“Let’s go.”
Cooper nods at me and then he leads me over to the small crowd of men and my new sister-wife, if she was telling the truth.
Isabella smiles at me first. Which is telling. I’m not sure what it means, but she is focused on me. Not Cooper. “There you are.” She takes my hand and pulls me into a hug, then discreetly whispers, “I’ve got your back,” before pulling away and taking her place on the other side of Cooper.
“Did you enjoy your night?”
When I look up at the Chairman, I realize he’s talking to me. “It was exquisite.”
“Good. I’m glad.” Then he smiles at Cooper. It’s a knowing smile. Either he’s guessed we had sex or the bodyguard somehow alerted him.
Then I get stuck on the idea that the bodyguard was watching us.
But the really weird thing is… I’m not totally appalled by it.
It’s kind of… intriguing.
Cooper used to watch a lot too. And I really liked it when he did that. Ax or Lars would be touching me out in the woods and Cooper would be leaning against a tree, jerking off.
A tingle begins to form between my legs just thinking back on those old times.
“Cadee?”
“Hmm?” Then I realize they’ve been talking to me and I missed it while I was having a sex fantasy. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear the question.”
The Chairman is smiling at me. “Are you ready?”
I’m just about to say yes when I notice the Judge is staring at me intently. It makes me uncomfortable. I’ve never been this close to him. And I don’t like the man. Not after what I learned about Ax.
I look away from the Judge and concentrate on the Chairman. “Yes, sir. I’m ready.”
“Did Isabella explain things to you? You understand why you’re here?”
And then I start wondering… was this his plan? When he asked me up to his office at the beginning of summer, did he want me to be here? “She did,” I say. “And yes. I understand that I’m to be… Cooper and Isabella’s….” What was that word she used? “Maiden.”
The Chairman smiles. First at me, then at Cooper, then at the Judge and the Mayor, who are standing to his left.
Cooper’s brother, Jack, appears with his wife, Leela, and… oh, fuck. Dane’s wife, Elizabeth.
“Are you ready, sweetie?” Leela asks. She’s not talking to me. She’s talking to Isabella.
Isabella nods. “So ready. Let’s do it.”
Cooper’s hand tightens on mine just as Isabella begins to pull me off in another direction. And when I look back at him, he’s just about to open his mouth to say something. But the Chairman cuts him off. “This is not a negotiation, Cooper. Let her go.”
I smile at Cooper. He does not smile back. “I’ll see you soon.”
Then I let go of his hand and allow Isabella to lead me away.
We follow Leela to the front of the tomb and I realize, This is it! I’m going in.
But just as the guards standing on either side of the entrance open the door, I catch sight of Victor. He’s holding a tray a few feet away. Just… staring at me.