AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Even as we stood at the back entrance - theservantsentrance, we could hear the cars roll up as, one by one, The Society kids hereto see through their servitudestepped out of their Cadillacs, Rolexes and Monolo Blahnik in toe.
I had heard them bitch about the unfairness of it all - how theirthree monthsof servitude seemed unjust in some way.
I’d give my left testicle to only have three months in this place - to know that there was some end in sight. In truth, if The Society dangled that carrot before me, I’d also be more than willing to undergo whatever assignment they threw my way.
But, then, The Society had a special way of curating just the right type of assignment that wouldbreak them. It’s as if they had some file stored away with all these rich kids trauma inducing triggers, andthatwas what they used tocreatethe assignments with.
It wouldn’t even surprise me if it was true.
“Come on,” Holly tugged against my shirt, pulling me away from the wall. I blinked, forcing myself back into this god-awful present and flashed her a grin.
“Where you taking me,beautiful?”
“Oh,shut up.” She huffed out, suddenly annoyed by the game we always played. “I want to see them as they step out their cars.”
“This isn’t fuckingMiss America, Holly.” I hissed the words, still doing nothing to stop her from dragging me along.
“It might as well be - I mean, they’re beautiful, poised, elegant, and I bet if you ask any of them what they wish for humanity, their answer would beworld peace.”
I snorted. Fuck her for being funny.
And just the reminder that Hollywasfunny - she waskind- andgood- and didn’t deserve the hand she got dealt.
“You just want to scout the pretty Society boys for yourself.”
“No lie,” she grinned back at me, flicking her hair over her shoulder as we stumbled along.
We skirted along the back buildings - the ones not easily visible to those who stayed here - the ones with flickering bulbs and sagging ceilings - the oneswelived in. Holly didn’t falter, ignoring our depressing reality as she dragged me along. She virtually skipped along the pretty cobblestone path - one made for dainty feet and rich person swagger, and, yet, seeing her skip along it in the light of day almost felt liberating somehow - almost felt as if we were daring the fucking universe tocatch us.
What a dangerous thing to do.
Laughter barked out of me - ragged and unexpected. It wasn’t the laughter I had been forcing out under the watchful eye of The Society - no, this was the real thing.
And it was all because of Holly - she was someone Iknew, and also someone I didn’t. More importantly, she was most definitely, undeniably, someone Ididn’twant to know any more than I already did about. Becauseknowingher would be the height of idiocy.
We rounded on the rolling lawns at the entrance - the ones peppered with hidden sprinklers to keep the grass lush and green - because The Society couldn’t look anythingbutperfect.
“Wait here.” I pulled Holly’s arm, halting her bouncing movements. She was the kind of unicorn that would gallop into clear line of sight and then wonder why she got shot. She glared at me. I glared back.
Under any other circumstances, I would label her afriend- perhaps even abestfriend, but I didn’t have the luxury of keeping friends - not when Gemma’s life was at stake.
Eventually, Holly settled in beside me, and I exhaled relief I hadn’t even known I was bottling inside as we hid behind one of the ostentatious palm trees that lined the driveway. The drivers seemed to have a system going,for onlyonce one had deposited their passenger, driven away, and were fully out of view, did the next car roll up. Black SUV after Black SUV rolled in, one after the other - perfectly timed. Some were Cadillacs, others Bentleys, but the color always remained the same. It didn’t surprise me in the least when a flashy Lambo pulled up the driveway, the driver speeding far faster than the measured pace of the Black SUVs allowed. Dirt flew up as he parkedthevehicle, stepping out of the car with a flourish, he dropped the keys into the outstretched palm of the valet.
I despised him on sight - had been around him enough to know that his arrogance stemmed from pure fucking evil, and when he turned around, he gaveus a fullglimpse of his face, and that was when Holly gasped. I wasn’t sure what had gone down between her and Paul Mae, but I noted that when it came to him, she made herself scarce. I may not have said anything, but Inoticed.
Paul flashed his all-american boy grin at the valetbeforeswaggering inside, no doubt to wreak havoc on some poor, unsuspecting victim.
Another Cadillac pulled up just as the Lambo rambled out of sight, a dark-haired beauty wobbled out the car, her hair a severe bob, with large glasses perched upon her face. She was pretty, in that done up, curated way. She also made me want to feed her a fucking cheeseburger. She ambled forward with the type of grace that could only be bred, but even from this distance, I could taste the alcohol wafting from her pores. Another party girl. It wouldn’t take long for The Society to knock her off herpedestal.
Holly and I watched in silence as the next vehicle pulled up, spitting out a broad-shouldered, auburn-haired guy. He wasn’t as polished as the other Society men, but that didn’t make him any less dangerous. I watched his stance - watched how he carried himself. The man knew how to fight, which only made him more intriguing.
The next car pulled up, the chauffeur hopping out to open the door foritspassenger, and that small act - minute difference, was all it took to tip me off. Ajax SinClaire was here. He stepped out from the vehicle, running his hands down the panels of his sports jacket. I didn’t miss the hiss of approval that fell from Holly’s lips.
“Don’t go there.” My voice was gruff - aggressive, but I didn’t care. The last thing I needed was Holly getting mixed up with a fuck boy like SinClaire.
She pouted at me.
“I’m serious.” I gritted the words out, refusing to examine them too closely - ignoring the way my hands grew clammy - the way mypulsequickened, because Ajax wasn’t justsomeSociety boy, he was the poster child for everything The Society stood for.
