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Do not assemble a team.
I’ll handle this personally.
* * *
CHAPTERTWENTY
Eden
I wake earlyin the morning. I'm back in my room at the club, expecting to feel the warm, comforting presence of Sergio beside me.
We discarded any pretense. Everyone in the club knows we’re a couple, even though it makes me uncomfortable that we’re not married. I try to put away any thought in my mind about my husband. But I can't. Every time I wake up next to Sergio, the guilt that I grew up with consumes me. He's not my husband, so it feels like we're living on borrowed time.
My husband, Seth, is an angry man. I don't understand why, but I know that he doesn't let things go easily. I don't know what he's capable of. And if it came down to a fight between Seth and Sergio, I know for a fact who would win. Sergio is stronger, more powerful, and dangerous.
But Seth has the power of the fellowship. And no one truly understands how powerful that group is.
I do. The longer I’m away from the fellowship, the more I realize what a stranglehold they had not just on me, but on dozens, even hundreds, of people.
When I roll over, Sergio isn't there.
"Sergio?"
There's no response. The unsettling feeling in my stomach grows.
I realize it's still early morning. The sunlight hasn't broken through the clouds yet, and it's still faintly dark out, though there's a sliver of sunrise on the horizon. My shade is partially open, so the early morning sun illuminates just a bit of the room.
Daisy’s still sleeping soundly in her crate. Last night, Sergio and I fell asleep late, and I remember discarding our clothes somewhere in the vicinity of the hamper.
His shoes are gone. His clothes are gone.
I sit up and remember today’s payday.
People like it when they get paid. I don't. It's a vivid reminder—if it's payday, that means I have more money in the bank. The more money I have in the bank, the closer I get to leaving here. I always knew I couldn’t stay. Then why does getting closer to my goal make me feel so—sad?
I remind myself that my sister is waiting for me. And I wonder if it's a lie that I tell myself that she'll be okay. That I'll even be able to get back to the fellowship and rescue her.
The more time that passes between when I left and when I actually return, the more I doubt my ability to do this on my own.
"Sergio?" I know now he's not going to answer, because he's gone. I look around the room with a growing sense of dread. I can’t help calling for him, as if he’ll mysteriously show up. I’m letting my imagination get the best of me.
I throw off the covers and look for a note or something that tells me he's gone and where he's gone to.
He's always here when I wake up.
I pick up my phone and see a text notification. My heart beats a little faster when I see it's from Sergio.
You were sleeping so peacefully I didn't want to wake you. I have an urgent matter to deal with. I have to go, Eden. I'll be back. I had to go immediately, because it's time sensitive but I'll be back tonight.
And that's it. I don't know why the dread continues to grow, making me faintly nauseous.
I click the phone button to call him. Thanks to Marialena I now know how to use this thing.
The call goes to voicemail.
I suppose things like this happen all the time in the ordinary world. People have places to go. People leave each other messages, texts, letters…
But I can’t help but wonder if something’s wrong.
