“It’s Christmas Eve, Cooper. Every family has an ugly sweater contest at Christmas. It’s tradition.”
“First of all, no, they don’t, and no, it’s not. Second, you’re not wearing one. How’s that fair?”
“I’m the judge, obviously. And don’t ruin their good time with your pissy attitude. They train all year for this night.”
I just shake my head at her. “What did you want?”
“To have a drink. But I also got you a present.”
“Why?”
“Because I like you.”
“You have never liked me.”
“Lies. I have adored you for all of time.”
I sigh and lean back into the couch cushions. Then eye her bodyguards suspiciously. “What’s up with these dudes?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean…” I lower my voice. “Why are they here? I would like to talk to you as well, Mona. But alone.”
“There’s no such thing as alone here, Cooper. You, of all people, should know that. But”—she pauses to grin at me—“they owe me a present tonight. You see, I’m notoriously difficult to buy for. So we’ve had a pact for the last five years. I only ask for one gift a year and that’s one hour of complete and total privacy. I was going to take it tomorrow—Dante is a dirty, dirty boy and we were going to try something new without the pressure of performance anxiety—”
“Mona. I don’t need to hear this shit. Get to the fucking point.”
“My point is—I will give up my private sexy time with Dante if you need a friend tonight, Cooper.”
“Still not sure what that means.”
“For fuck’s sake. Sometimes I wonder how you are able to dress yourself every morning, that’s how dumb you are.”
I frown.
“Sorry. You’re not much dumber than the other boys around here. Don’t take it personal.”
“Mona—”
“OK, boys. I’m calling privacy time. Please clear out so Cooper and I can have a chat. And don’t forget to turn off the cameras. Please and thank you.”
The meatheads all begin to shuffle towards the other end of the room. They set their trays down on a buffet table, then exit, pulling the massive double doors closed behind them.
Mona gets up and walks over to the buffet table. She grabs a plate, loads it up with cookies, then starts pouring drinks.
“So what did you want to talk about?” I ask.
She looks up at the ceiling. “The cameras are still on. Give them a minute to turn them off. In the meantime, there’s a present for you under the tree. Go fetch it, will ya?”
I’m not in the mood to argue with her, so I get up and walk over to the massive Christmas tree. It’s a real one too. Smells good. In fact, Mona’s house is surprisingly homey. Much more comfortable than my own.
There are about two dozen boxes under the tree. All but one are gift-wrapped the same—glossy red paper and gold bows. I pick up the odd one first. Gold paper and red bow. And it’s very small.
I hold it up and she says, “Correct. Good job.” Like I’m a dog performing tricks. “Come on, have a drink with me. If I’m giving up my private hour, then you owe me a good time.”
I raise an eyebrow at her.
“No, not that good of a time. I imagine you’re as boring in bed as you are in real life, but I’m not judging. Open your present and eat some cookies with me. Most of my boys are doing keto this year. Why did we make all these damn cookies if they’re not going to eat them?”
“Mona.”
“Yes?”
“No one cares about your cookie problems.”
She looks up at the ceiling. “Cameras are off. We can talk freely now.”
I look up at the ceiling, trying to see the cameras. But I don’t see shit. And suddenly I’m not sure I should be here. What if she’s setting me up?
“You should be suspicious, Cooper. Your family are a bunch of psychopaths. You were right before when you said I have always hated you. That’s absolutely true. You are a whiny bitch of a boy. And you don’t deserve Cadee. It’s your fault she’s in this mess. In fact, Isabella is your fault too. Hell, let’s just make it all your fault.”
“Well…” I huff. “Thanks for your support.”
She holds up a glass of whiskey. Looks down into it as she swirls it around. Then downs it in one gulp. “I’m angry at you.” She meets my gaze. “Because if we weren’t here, you would go along with it. You would not have the strength to get out. We’re pulling you through.”
“No, you’re not, Mona. You have no idea how hard I’ve been working to get out of this shit.”
“You tell yourself that. But it’s not true, Cooper.” She pauses for a moment. “You’re mad at Lars, not because he’s playing the game, but because he’s playing better than you are. Even Ax is playing better than you are.”
I sigh, take a seat on the couch, and give myself a moment to let that sink in. She’s not wrong. And once again I feel like I’m failing everyone. But especially Cadee.
“Why are you still here, Cooper? Why didn’t you leave at the beginning of the summer?”
“Because my father got Isabella involved.”
“So?”
“So, I’m not leaving her behind.”
“Ah. I see.” She grabs a tray of cookies and a tray of whiskey and sets them down on the coffee table in front of me. She studies the cookies, then hands me one in the shape of an angel.
I accept it with a feeling of resignation, then bite the head off and chew. “It’s good.”
“They are not good, they are amazing.” She sits down on the couch next to me. “But back to Isabella. You can’t save her, Cooper.”
“I can try.”
“No, that’s not what I mean. You could save her. Maybe. For a time. But people can’t really be saved, can they? That’s just a cheat. You boys like video games, right? Saving someone is a cheat. Makes you feel good. Makes them feel good for a time. But we all have to save ourselves in the end, Cooper. You should’ve left.”
“And then Isabella would be here alone. And Cadee. Jesus fuck. I don’t even want to think about what would’ve happened to her if I wasn’t here.”
“Well, none of this would’ve happened. That’s for sure.”
“Something worse. Dane, probably.”
“Dane was on his way out no matter what. In fact, if you weren’t here, she would not be Queen. She’d be me, wouldn’t she? Some low-level legacy in training. She’d have years left before any of this crazy, psycho shit started. You sped it all up, didn’t you?”
“What?”
“Cooper.” Mona leans forward. “They pegged you from the start. You have a good heart. I truly believe that. You’re a dick most of the time. And you’ve got an ego problem to work on. But you have a good heart. They planned this.” Her voice is soft now. “All of it, Cooper. Including Isabella’s suicide attempt during your summer rush.”
I just stare at her.
“They drove her crazy that year with threats and shame. It’s sad, really. Because no one really cares if she’s a lesbian, do they? I mean, why should they care? She’s still got a womb. They’ll get babies out of her, no matter who she prefers to have sex with. But they knew the two of you were friends. They used that against you. They used her against you. Just like they used Ax. Just like they’re using Cadee. They know you’re loyal, Cooper. That’s your problem. You’re loyal.”