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It was a strange thing to hear because if Chantal was still around, that would’ve made Ajax her half-brother, which would have made usfamily. The thought was almost laughable, and I didn’t imagine we would ever have had Christmas eve dinners around the table together.
As the crowd began filtering through the doorway, the movement filled my lungs with a fresh perspective becausethere- just left of the doorway, was a suited gentleman. I had learned to spot Society security a long time ago. They hadn’t updated their look since Chantal and I ran from them in the mall once as kids.
And he wasalone. In my experience, that was an unusual occurrence, but then he was probably moving through this space alone because he was on Society soil.
It was a mistake, but I couldn't bring myself to feel sorry for the dipshit. Instead, I pushed past Mack and his girlfriend, following the suit as he pushed away from the wall and led the way into the men’s room. The crowd pushing down the corridor in the opposite direction offered ample coverage, which was exactly what I needed because only an idiot would assume that this place wasn’t videoed and wired to the hilt.
The sound of my entry was muffled by the sounds of the rush just outside the doorway, but still, I held my breath, not wishing to alert him to my presence.
The man was fucking oblivious and didn’t deserve his job here if he still hadn’t noticed me.
My stomach clenched in hunger, and I hated that it waslunchtime- hated that in the short time I had been here, my body was suddenly used to regular meals. It was a weakness I couldn’t afford.
The suit stood in the bathroom stall for far longer than necessary staring at his phone, and for a brief moment I wondered how tight a leash they kept him on here - if this was the only place that he had the luxury of checking his messages. Even if that was true, it didn’t matter -couldn’t, because I had my own message to deliver, and I needed to do it quickly.
He was big - so much bigger than I was, which was perfect, actually, because all The Warden’s opponents had been twice my size.
I slipped the knife from my sleeve. It was a small thing that spanned the length of my palm, the handle dipping past my wrist. And while it had seen better days, and it certainly wasn’t as big and ostentatious as some, I knew it would do the job, just like it had on countless other occasions.
Surprisingly, I wasn’t planning on gutting him. The knife was merely a distraction for what would come next because using it meant creating a mess that I didn’t have time to clean. I was already aware of the clock ticking down, of how little time I truly had before someone came looking for him.
I was quick, faster than a rabbit running from a hunt as I slid my hand around his body, pressing the knife near his groin. He jerked in shock, the phone tumbling from his hand as it dinged against the toilet seat before finally skittering across the bathroom floor. As bathrooms went, this one was pristine, but then I didn’t expect anything less when it came to The Society. Once his phone remained stationary on the floor, he stopped moving, holding his body rigid as I pressed the knife against his scrotum for good measure. It was amazing what a man would do if he thought his dick was in danger.
“You won’t get away with this.” His parting line was pathetic, and I scoffed a little, wishing that I could reply, but I didn’t want the risk of someone hearing a woman’s voice coming from the men’s restroom. Instead, I slid the syringe out with my left hand from my bag wordlessly before plunging it into his stomach, the fabric of his shirt giving way in lieu of the needle. For a heartbeat, I thought he was about to push away from me - about to severe his own dick off in return for his freedom, but he simply held his breath. He probably thought it was a tranquilizer of some sort - probably still told himself that he wasn’t really in danger. Which is exactly what I was counting on when it came to them - I needed them to underestimate me - to not even consider me a threat.
We both watched as I pushed the plunger of the syringe into his flesh, releasing the liquid into his system.
“You little bitch.” His voice was low and aggressive, but I knew that in a few more seconds he would be hit by a wave of dizziness. This was the one weakness that The Society was willing to ignore in concession to my looks. I had told them I was diabetic - not the kind of diabetes that required insulin injections daily, just the kind to have an emergency supplyjust in case. And the thing about insulin? If you injected it into a person who didn’t need it, they would fall into a diabetic coma, sometimes never recovering.
I stepped back, pulling the syringe free as I gave the big guy the space he needed to fall. It didn’t take long for his body to crumple down, his fall almost silent thanks to his suit.
He lay there, motionless, and it was the first time I allowed myself to look at him. He was young - younger than anyone ought to be working security for The Society, but I had learned a long time ago that kings and queens were created from birth, making age a negligible thing. Still, he was far more handsome than he should have been, and for a heartbeat I wondered if he too was a Society bastard - a castaway of some sort. In the end, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was the message I needed to deliver.
I pulled the only true item that would incriminate me from my bag - a metal seal with a long ivory handle, ordinarily used for sealing letters with hot wax. But today, and just like every other time I had used it, it would act as a brand. The lighter sat heavily in my palm than I was accustomed to - the weight of what I was about to do wasn’t lost on me, not when I knew that this was me drawing my line in the sand.
I was throwing down the gauntlet, and now it would be a matter of waiting to see how The Society responded - if they would suspectme.
I knew that The Warden would have wanted me to burn the mark into his skin while he was still conscious, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it - couldn’t force myself to be the monster he had a hand in creating - especially since he wasn’t here to see.
It didn't take long for the lighter to do its job, heating the seal in a way that made it impossible to touch. I pressed the metal against his cheek, reveling in the fact that he didn't flinch - didn't even feel it. The smell of burning flesh filled the bathroom cubicle and it was all I could do tonotgag. Fuck, it was vile, but it needed to be done. I'd chosen his cheek because it was clearly visible with his suit on, and there would be no way that Benson SinClaire could view this as anything other than what it was -a message.
The whole thing took less than ten minutes. The timing had been superb, but it also meant that the crowd that gave me coverage from the cameras on the way in wouldn't be there on my way out.
Silently, I dug an old hoodie from my personal collection out of my bag, flinging it over my body, covering my new designer apparel. An annoyed huff escaped my lips as I glanced down at myself. The hoodie was long enough to cover my ass, but my new wedges would be a dead giveaway to anyone analyzing the camera footage. Begrudgingly, I slid them off, stuffing them in my bag as I disappeared back into the corridor with my hood pulled low, bare feet slapping against the tiles. It wasn't that I liked the shoes, it was the simple fact that I had grown up understanding the risks of running without shoes. Rusted nails and broken glass on paved walks weren't the type of thing that rich kids ever had to worry about, not in the suburbs they grew up in.
Chapter Nine : Admitting the Truth is Only Half the Battle
Mack
Weshuffledintoanotherauditorium like the goddamn sheep we were. While I knew that I needed to suck this shit up - at least until I found a way out - there was something particularly distasteful about sitting in a lecture conducted by Ajax SinClaire. While the SinClaire's made the fucking hair raise on the back of my neck, Ajax was as self-righteous and entitled as they came, and I could think of a hell of a lot of better ways to spend my time than to sit here and listen to that fuckwit moan.
I seated myself next to Aria, placing me firmly in Ajax’s line of sight as his eyes swept across the room, taking in his ‘students.’ I wasn’t the least bit surprised when his gaze lingered on Aria. He may talk the talk of despising her, and even make a big show of it, but his gaze sought her out at every opportunity he had. Which spoke volumes. Pretty Boy wanted Aria. I chuckled, unable to contain my laughter as Aria fidgeted next to me. It always surprised me how uncomfortable she was when attention was cast her way - as if it were somehow unexpected, which was ludicrous, really, considering how beautiful she was.
Pretty Boy’s lecture consisted of why The Society believed they needed to infiltrate and takeover corporations and organizations. Of course, he spun a wonderful tale, explaining that with their level of control, they could limit the disasters that occurred, but we all knew that the truth lay in the amount of money that lined their pockets each month.
I scanned the room, taking in the amount of women leaning into Ajax’s conversation - eating up everything Pretty Boy was selling. It served to show just how fickle The Society women actually were.
Andthatwas the kind of woman I was expected to breed with? It was as if they were deliberately attempting to dumb down the gene pool.
