Cooper stands in front of me, then bends down and grabs me by the hair. “What is your fucking problem?”
“Sorry, my king.”
“I didn’t ask you to apologize. Get up.”
I stand. But. It’s not exactly easy because my wrist is still cuffed to the freaking leg of the chair. So I’m sorta half-hunched over until Cooper gets the key out and releases me.
I rub my wrist while Cooper says, “Jesus Christ, Jack. Your woman smells.”
Yeah, I want to say. Because they don’t bathe her.
“I left her like that on purpose.” I’m looking at my feet the way I’m supposed to, but I chance a glance up at Jack just in time to see him smile as the last of these words come out.
He’s got a very creepy smile.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Cooper asks.
“I would like Isabella to wash her.”
“What?”
“You heard me, Cooper. Cadee?” Jack turns to me. “Be a good bitch and go fetch Isabella.”
I look at Cooper. He nods. “Bring her up here.”
I turn away and I’m just about through the door when Cooper adds, “And be fast about it. Don’t piss me off again, Cadee.”
I go down the long hallway and the conversation behind me turns into muffled arguing.
I’m not in a part of the house that I recognize, so it takes me a few minutes to go downstairs and then find my way back to the formal dining room in more familiar territory.
Isabella is talking to her father and the Chairman when I appear in the arched doorway.
The Chairman sees me first. I know the rules. Leela explained them in every detail during our weekend in the city. So I don’t enter the room or say anything. The Chairman taps Isabella on the shoulder, then leans in and whispers in her ear as he points to me.
She turns and even though she’s smiling, I can see the panic in her eyes.
“Excuse me,” she says. Then she walks over to me and I take her hand and start leading away from the front of the house.
“What’s going on? Why are you down here?”
“Jack sent me to get you. He wants to you to bathe Elizabeth.”
“For fuck’s sake,” she growls. “What do they think? Hmm? Does Jack really think I’ll be attracted to his dirty psycho slut because I have to wash her filthy naked body? I mean, what the actual fuck, Cadee?”
Isabella has been handling her shit in this show quite well, in my opinion. But this is the first time she’s ever admitted her sexual preferences to me out loud. I count that as major progress.
“Yeah. I got nothing for that. She’s gross, Isabella. But she really needs a bath. I don’t think they’ve bathed her since homecoming. She smells so bad.”
“They’re setting me up.” Isabella whispers this. Then looks around, probably for cameras or listening devices.
“I know. But just go along. Play along.”
“I wasn’t wet that night at the pool, Cadee. I’m not attracted to you.”
“Way to make a girl feel special.”
We both laugh. Which is kinda sick. There is nothing laughable about what we’re involved in.
“Her fingers were already wet. That’s all I’m saying. If she tries that shit again, I’m gonna call her out. I’m not the Fugling. No offense.”
“None taken.” I steer her towards the back stairs and we start climbing.
“I’m practically a goddamned wife.”
“I don’t know, Isabella. I think you should just go along. It’s so much easier than fighting them.”
“That’s what they want us to think.”
“It’s true though. Oh, holy shit. I didn’t get a chance to tell you about Ax walking in on us this afternoon—”
But then we hear the crying from down at the end of the hall and I stop talking.
Isabella and I shoot each other a look. Then she goes in front of me and I slip back into my submissive position and follow her through the door.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE - COOPER
Isabella and Cadee return while Jack and I are still arguing.
“Cooper, I’m warning you—”
“You don’t get to warn me, Jack. I don’t know who you think you are to me, other than my brother, but I’m not taking orders from you. This is over.”
“You’ll walk away from everything?” Jack studies me with narrowed eyes. “Just to save one of your bitches?”
“What the hell are we talking about?”
Jack looks at Isabella—who has come up to stand next to me—and before I can say anything, he’s already slapped her across the face.
He hits her so hard, Isabella stumbles sideways and Cadee has to move in to stop her from falling over.
I don’t even know what happens next. The only thing I know is that a few minutes later my father is pulling me off of Jack and pushing me into a corner.
I can’t see out of one eye, my lip is bleeding so much I’m swallowing blood, and my left ear is ringing.
But Jack’s face is a bloody, purple mess. My father is right up to me. Yelling at me. Ordering me to calm down.
But I do not calm down. I push his ass out of the way and stalk over to Jack. He’s being held up by Isabella’s father. I point my finger in Jack’s face. “Don’t ever. Ever. Fucking touch her again.” Then I whirl around and point at my father. “No.” I say loud and I say it with conviction. “No. I will not stand for it. He does not get to touch Isabella. Ever. Ever.”
I look around and realize Isabella and Cadee are gone. So is Elizabeth.
“Cooper.”
I turn at my name and find Mr. Huntington staring at me. “What?”
“Isabella isn’t yours, son. Not yet. She’s mine. And Jack has my permission to correct her if she needs it.” Then he smiles at me. “And we both know how badly she needs it.”
If I had a gun right now, I think I would kill everyone in this room.
Even myself.
What the fuck are we into?
I thought I knew. I really did. I bought into Dante’s plan. And actually, even though none of us are on the same page anymore, it was an absolutely brilliant plan. Because certain things he predicted would happen happened.
I was just starting to get comfortable. Just starting to think it would all work out.
But when I walked into this room earlier and saw Elizabeth—naked, filthy, drugged—I realized something very important. The kind of thing that makes all the difference when you’re in a game.
These people aren’t playing.
It’s not a game for them, it’s real life.
“Are you calm now?” Mr. Huntington asks. And when I look around, I realize everyone is gone now. It’s just us two.
I nod my head because he appears to be waiting for me to respond.
“Good. The girls are already busy washing Elizabeth.”
“What? I said no!”
“It’s not up to you, Cooper. Maybe one day, ten or fifteen years from now, you will be an actual King.” He smiles at me. It’s not even a mean smile. More of an understanding one. “But right now, son, you are nobody. Didn’t your father talk to you about this?”