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CHAPTERTWELVE
When we make it back to the lounge, Atlas is nowhere in sight. We take our seats anyway and wait it out for a few minutes, but when it’s clear he isn’t coming back, the two of us decide to go find him.
He may be the one that seems the most together, but that doesn’t mean he’s immune from doing reckless shit. Right now, we’re all dangling close to the edge and all it could take is a little push for any of us to fall.
Cyrus and I cut through to the employee only entrance and make our way towards the back offices. More than likely, that’s where he is and if he isn’t there, at least we’ll have a better vantage point to continue the search from.
We make it to his office and I’m just about to knock on the door when Cyrus stops me dead in my tracks.
“Wait.” He whispers, leaning closer to the door. “Do you hear that?”
I follow his lead and easily pick up the muffled sound of someone talking. It’s Atlas, and he sounds normal, if not a little buzzed, but these walls are supposed to be soundproof. I run my fingers against the seam of the door and when I notice it’s slightly ajar; I curse under my breath.
Fucking sloppy, Atlas.What if one of our enemies had followed him back here to spy? Or worse, catch him with his fucking guard down. I’m half tempted to pull my gun on him just to show him how stupid that was. But when I hear a feminine voice pop into the conversation, my thoughts stutter to halt.
Cyrus turns to face me. “You don’t think—”
“It has t… to be her.” I reply, keeping my voice down.
“Why does he sound pissed?” He asks, as his brows draw together.
“She does too.” I admit, picking up on the angry tone in both of their voices. “We should give them privacy. Let them figure their shit out.”
“No.” Cyrus says, shaking his head. “You and I both know he’s probably wasted by now. He’s in no condition to talk to anyone. The last time we saw her, Ezra said something to drive her away, and we all had to deal with the consequences of his choice. I’m not taking a backseat this time around. I’m going in before At says something stupid. We all deserve the chance to say what we need to say to her.”
Cyrus grabs the handle and forces the door open, nearly ripping the fucker off of its hinges. I think the time spent away from her made us all realize how much she means to us. How much, just having her in our home changes things.
The second Cyrus and I take in the scene before us, both of our faces fall.
“What the fuck is this?” I hear Cy shout among a stream of incomprehensible curses. I’m about to tell him to calm the fuck down when I realize he isn’t the one screaming the string of words;I am.
It isn’t like me to challenge Atlas. Then again, it isn’t like me to care about what any of them do, but this doppelgänger version of our girl in his office is crossing several fucking lines.
I cut a scathing glance towards Atlas and feel the rage within me bubble up again. He’s a grown man. He can do whatever the hell he wants, but this shit isn’t okay.
“What the fuck are you still doing here?” Cy snaps, shifting his eyes to the carbon copy. “Get the fuck out. Now.”
The woman bolts, nearly colliding with the two of us as she makes a beeline for the door. She’s barely able to hold it together as she jerks the straps of her dress up and everything about this is fucking laughable.What the hell was he thinking?
“Sit down.” Atlas snaps, making the woman freeze in her place. “We aren’t finished here.”
The woman turns around and tucks herself into the corner of the room, trying to make herself look as small as possible. It's a defense mechanism and a smart one, but it doesn’t change the fact that she’s still here.
“We have private matters to discuss.” Cyrus snaps, tightly clenching his fists. “Send her away. Now.”
It’s obvious Cy’s just as angry as I am. We’ve both looked up to Atlas our entire lives. He’s supposed to be the smart one. The one that makes all the right decisions. But I think watching this shit play out is making us realize that maybe our big brother isn’t so perfect after all.
“Say what you need to say.” Atlas says, leaning back in his chair as he grabs a bottle and tops off his glass of whiskey. “Her NDA is bulletproof, and we’ve already discussed the ramifications she’ll face if she decides to talk.”
“This is low.” I say, shaking my head. “And it isn’t like you at all.”
“Don’t do that.” Atlas snaps. “Don’t tell me who I’m supposed to be. I know who the fuck I am. I’m the go to and I’m the only one in this family who’s willing to do what it takes to keep us afloat.”
“Let me guess.” Cyrus adds, as his eyes shift between Atlas and the girl. “Fucking her was essential for the business.”
Atlas scoffs as he swirls the whiskey in his glass. “Not that it’s any of your fucking concern, but I didn’t fuck her,” he says, taking a long sip of his drink, “and I wasn’t planning on it. I was simply doing what needed to be done. Something neither of you would know anything about.”
He finishes his drink and stands up from behind his desk to walk towards us. “It must be so easy to navigate your fucking life when the only person you ever need to think about is yourself. I mean, Tris,” he says, looking at me, “when things get rough you can just slink back behind your computer screen and no questions you. And Cy,” he says, centering his focus on my twin, “isn’t ironic that you’re judging me for this when you used to fuck anything that smiled your way?”
