Page 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Jolie

The Myers house is bustling with activity, and Mrs Myers has an entire team whose job it is to help us get ready. I have already been plucked, waxed, primped, and primed, and that was before my hair and makeup were even done.

My dress was hung in my room; Mrs Myers chose it for me since I wasn’t available.

Standing in my underwear, I inspect myself in the mirror. The white laced corset makes my breasts pop and I look fantastic.

“Knock, knock,” comes Case’s voice, and he steps into the room. His emerald eyes roam over my body, Adam’s apple jumping as he swallows down whatever he was going to say.

“Um . . . wow . . . I just wanted to come and make sure you’re okay.”

I nod, taking the time to appreciate Case in a suit, smiling at his choice of outfit. He is in beautifully pressed suit pants, matched with a white button-up, rolled to his elbows to show off his colourful skin. His tie hangs loose around his neck, and of course, he is wearing black Converse. I really should have noticed the connection to Kai sooner.

“You look pretty good yourself,” I say, trying to control myself from jumping into his arms.

“I can confidently say that you look a hell of a lot better than I do. But I hope you plan to wear a dress.”

I chuckle at him and point to the dress. It’s a coral A-line that dips low in the front, with a generous split up the leg, and my favourite part—it has sleeves.

Case unhooks the dress from its hanger and helps me step into it, zipping me up. Mrs Myers did well—it fits perfectly. I slip my feet into a pair of gold Louboutin heels, bringing my outfit together perfectly.

“Stay close to one of the guys all night, and if anything happens, know it’s us playing our part. The plan is for us to cause a fight and then I will storm upstairs, making an obvious exit, and I’ll slip back in later. Kai also has to sneak out to scan the building, but he will be back quickly. We need to keep our eyes on Mr Z all night.”

I nod in agreement and Case holds out his arm for me. We were told to be ready by seven, so the limos will be waiting.

We head downstairs, arm in arm. As we descend the stairs, Mrs Myers clears her throat and Boston, Laughn, Davis, Marlow, and Brennan all turn to face us. Butterflies flutter low in my stomach, and a memory overwhelms me unexpectedly.

“I don’t wanna go,” I sulk. “I hate these stupid parties and dresses. Why can’t I wear sneakers? Case gets to wear his.”

“Because you are the star of the show. You are the most important person in this whole organisation. Besides me, of course.”

“But why?” I ask, not understanding.

“Because all these people have paid lots of money to help us. They want to see their investments.”

“They can just watch the guys. They are better at everything than me.”

“They are replaceable. You, my dear, are one of a kind.”

“That makes no sense, Mr Z. I’m just a regular girl.”

“It will one day,” he replies.

“It’s still not fair. This dress is itchy, and these shoes are giving me blisters,” I complain, hating that I have to dress up.

“Are you okay?” Case’s deep voice brings me back to the present moment.

“Yep, just remembering how much I hated these things.”

“I feel you. We are basically a bunch of circus animals putting on a show for the incredibly wealthy. Just remember to only speak when spoken to, and when engaging in conversation, always talk about them and their interests. It makes for an easier night. They honestly don’t give a shit what we do; they just want to look good and donate more money than their rivals.”

We reach the bottom of the stairs and Case keeps a protective arm linked around mine.

Laughn steps forward and smiles. “You look absolutely stunning in that dress, but I plan to rip it off later with my?—”

“Laughn Taylor! You watch your manners, young man. That’s not how you talk to a lady in front of company. Now let’s go so we are there on time—I don’t need Elizabeth to yap on about us being late. I already have a headache starting to form just thinking about spending an evening with her.”

I hide a smirk from Mrs Myers, as we all follow her outside where there are two limos waiting. Mr and Mrs Myers head towards the one in the front, and Mrs Myers turns to look back at Laughn, giving him a glare that says behave . He responds by squeezing my ass. I shake my head and swat his hand away.

All the guys pile into our limo—Brennan helping me in—and I’m seated between Boston and Davis. Both guys’ legs are pressed close to mine, and my mind goes straight to the gutter, being surrounded by six incredibly hot guys. I thank the stars the other three will meet us there to avoid suspicion, and Trace, well, we have no idea what Mr Z officially plans to do with him. If he brings him, he doesn’t know I have my memories back and can’t manipulate us that way. So, we are pretty sure that he will be left wherever he is being held.

We pull up outside a very prestigious looking hotel. It screams wealth, from the red carpet to the gold accents on the ropes manned by a beefed-up security guard. The driver exits the car and comes to open the door. Marlow is the first out and extends his hand for me to take.

The Olympia Hotel logo shines bright overhead. I now get the Gods reference, but the fact that the name is spelt incorrectly tells me it’s intentional. I snort at the connection.

“What’s so amusing?” Marlow whispers in my ear as we wait our turn to walk down the red carpet.

“I just got the Gods reference seeing the hotel logo. Mr Z must be insane.”

“He is, but his name is Zacari Olympia. Rumour has it he plans to name all his genetically engineered teams after the Greek gods.”

“Why not the other teams?”

“Because they are only so useful to him, a cover to continue creating the ultimate teams. Most of those teams grew up alongside us, but they are expendable. He has individuals trained to take their places if they drop their game. He doesn’t care how long they have trained together, hence why we have the test zone. If they can survive, then they can move on in their training. He has people for everything. Handlers, analysts, scientists, teachers, the list goes on.”

“So why let you out on your own during high school?”

“Because he wants to see how we all adapt, see how people our age behave, and to give those who don’t want this life the chance to walk away.”

“And you can just walk away?” I ask because I really don’t believe it’s that easy.

“I didn’t say that we could. We’re not stupid—we are his assets.”

“So why does he need all this to gain money?” I gesture to the circus that is the gala. “It makes no sense. If he had benefactors, they would be lining his pockets.”

“Greed. He originally wanted to work with the government, and they were on board when his brother worked with him. It kept everything legit. But he didn’t want to hand over control, hence the old rich guys. We still work for the government at times, but that has given Mr Z a big head.”

Security dude gives us a nod and we walk down the carpet towards him with cameras flashing at us, and I wonder if it’s the media or just an illusion to make the rich feel special. Once we get to him, we are directed to a lush foyer, where a man asks for our names.

Brennan steps forward. “Brennan Myers escorting Boston Myers, Laughn Taylor, Marlow Emmerson, Case Chambers, and Davis Moore. Jolie Smith is our guest tonight.”

Laughn steps up to the security guard at the lobby entrance, who holds out a small pen-like light to Laughn’s wrist. The guy flashes the light over it once and nods. The rest of them all do the same, but I’m asked to move through the metal detector on the right, while the guys walk through one on the left. Watching the guys getting their wrists checked brings forth another memory I’d forgotten.

“You can’t hide down here forever, Tenshi. I promise it won’t hurt. I have a special cream for you.”

“I don’t believe you. Davis cried when they were doing his.”

“Because I didn’t share my special cream with him—it takes away the pain. Have I ever lied to you before?”

“No, but . . .”

“No buts. You’re a kick-ass girl who is stronger than any of those boys. We can even keep this our secret.”

“Okay, I just want it to be over. Needles suck.”

“I know they do, but this will be over before you know it, and you will have a kick-ass tattoo.”

“One people can’t see.”

We’re all moved through this section quickly and led into a massive ballroom. Looking around, I’m taken aback by how beautiful the venue is. Stunning chandeliers light the room to perfection, above tables precisely placed. Massive arched windows are framed by delicate cream curtains pulled to the sides. Every light, every centrepiece, every chair all set to perfection. Not a single thing is out of place.

“Incoming,” Boston warns, and each guy moves into position around me. Marlow takes my hand and gives it a squeeze.

Mr Z is walking towards us, along with a striking woman, her long blonde hair styled in waves that look almost natural. While she wears so much more makeup than needed, and her dress leaves next to nothing to the imagination, there is no denying this woman is stunning.

Her incredulous gaze raises instant red flags, and her pursed lips and hair flick give away her intentions. But I do just as my memories are telling me to do. I smile as they approach.

“Mr Z, nice to see you again and thank you for inviting me.”

“Without me, none of this would have been possible... I’m Elizabeth. I’m sure you have heard of me,” The woman with Mr Z chimes in.

“I have, Marlow has told me a lot about you. Your son is an amazing man.”

“There is always room for improvement,” she mutters before walking away, clearly bored with our conversation.

“A massive pain in the ass, but you can’t deny the woman has impeccable taste,” Mr Z comments, leaving me wondering why they even do this stuff.

“You know as well as we do she has her intern do all of this, along with the help of Betty and Annabella. She is good for reeling in the old farts and their money,” Case says with a chuckle.

Mr Z smiles. “You got me. Jolie, would you like to come and meet a few people?”

Unsure of what I should do, I hesitate, but Brennan helps me out. “Go, save Mr Z from working the room alone. I’m sure he will return you to our table when he is done.”

He holds out his arm to me and I link mine with his. “I will bring her back safe and sound before the meals are served.”

Mr Z whisks me away from the guys, though I spot them scattered around the room, keeping a close eye on me. We meet so many people, including old rich guys that seem to be a tad too handsy for my liking, but I smile and nod like a good little robot.

“How are the boys treating you?” Mr Z asks as we head towards the bar.

“Depends on which one, but in general, we are playing nice.”

He laughs at my response. “Boston and Davis I bet.”

“You know them so well. They have told me you have known them for a long time.”

“That’s true. I have known them since they were babies. But let’s cut to the chase. I want you, as part of this organisation, Jolie, to work for me,” Mr Z says in all seriousness, ready to get down to business.

“Work for you?” I have to answer his questions the right way—he doesn’t know about my memories coming back.

“You’re a smart girl. I’m confident you know enough by now and are starting to put it all together.” I nod. There is no point in lying. “The details right now are not important. First, I have a surprise, but in return I would like a meeting with you to explain how we work, and call me curious, but I would like to know what plans you have for the future.” I raise my brow at him, wondering what plans he thinks I may have. “I’m sure you’ve worked out that the boys have not been so honest with you, and that makes you smart. They haven’t been so honest with me either.”

I make a mental note to tell the guys that Mr Z thinks they have been dishonest with him, and maybe he knows more than they think.

We walk right past the bar into a smaller hallway, where Chester is talking to an older blonde woman. He doesn’t look at me, but I know he saw me passing him.

“All I want is Trace back. I have been open about that. If they stand in my way, I will take them out.” My rage flares. Mr Z has a way of turning a conversation to benefit him. I know where Trace is, and yet he still managed to fuel my anger.

“That is good to hear. I found Trace, and as a gesture of goodwill, I will give him to you, but in return, I would like that meeting.”

“What do you mean... you found him?” I stop dead in my tracks, applauding myself for my performance.

“Brennan told me you were looking for him. Trace used to work for me, and since I wanted to recruit you, I thought we could start our relationship in a place of trust.”

“No offence, but the only person I trust is Trace.”

“Good.” I don’t miss the look in his eye; he thinks he can use Trace to control me. “This is where your surprise comes into play.” Another mental note to tell Trace that Mr Z has kept him alive to use against me—which could pose issues if I’m not compliant.

He opens a door that looks like a service entrance for the staff to bring food into the room. Trace is leaning up against the wall in a suit.

Tears openly fall and a memory hits me.

“Let’s practice one more time. You need to be able to do this with no cues. I know you can do it.”

“I don’t understand why I need to cry, Kai. The guys get to work on cool stuff, and I’m here crying like I’m weak. “

“You could bring a man to his knees with those tears. They are not a form of weakness at all.”

“That’s shit. I get a set of boobs and so this is my role... Don’t laugh at me, Kai.” I sniffle, tears rolling down my face. “I thought you were supposed to help me, but now you want to laugh at me. What’s wrong with you?”

“Wildflower, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

“Got you, sucker.” I snicker at the look on his face.

I run towards Trace and throw myself into his arms, my back turned to Mr Z. “He is up to something,” I whisper. He buries his head into my hair, pulling me closer.

“I know, just play along. This will all be over soon.”

Taking a deep breath in, I step back with a sniffled “I missed you so much.” Then I turn back to Mr Z. “You have your meeting. Let me know when it is good for you.”

He nods, then looks to Trace. “I trust you can take Jolie back to her table.”

Mr Z leaves the room and Trace just looks at me. He types a message out on his phone, and I read as he writes.

Trace

I’m here. Fight me.

Case

WTF how?

Trace

He used finding me as a pawn. He is up to something.

Trace

Get mad at me for taking her. He will believe it.

Case

Roger that, will fill the guys in. You message yours.

Trace flicks a group message to Chester, Creed, Brennan, and Kai before pocketing his phone.

“Can’t he track your phones and texts?”

“He could if we didn’t have Marlow’s mad skills. We can block out what we need. We send general messages and have our regular conversations so he can track us, but we secure the lines on nights like this.”

“Oh, okay.” I guess that makes sense.

“Your phone is completely untraceable. Marlow has it set to show random messages and calls to your friends. But obviously they don’t get them.” He holds out his arm to me. “Let’s do this. Case needs to hit me. Just play your part—he will understand.”

We both head back through the service entrance that is now filled with staff. No one directly looks us in the eye, keeping their heads down and doing the job they have been paid to do—which is smart thinking on their part. These rich assholes would probably cause them more problems than it’s worth just for looking at them.

Once we get back into the main room, Summer’s team is on a stage in the middle of the ballroom, demonstrating how well they can use what looks to be swords. Summer is kicking the guy’s asses, and I wonder if it’s because she is better than them or because they all love her. I saw how protective they were. Summer looks over at me as she does a fancy spin and winks. She must be happy Laughn has left them alone, though I have a feeling it’s only because he has been too busy trying to take down Mr Z.

Trace leads us to a corner of the room that is away from everyone, but close enough they can witness this fight.

Case approaches, and he looks as mad as a cut snake. The others are still spread around the room, pretending to be engaged in conversation with random people. I spot Jimmie, Sinclair, and Danika mixed among the guests.

I wave at them and have a few seconds before Case rips me away from Trace. I stumble back more than needed, emphasising the movements to make it look real.

“Get away from her!” The yell is loud enough to get the people’s attention across the room.

“Calm down. Case, let me explain,” Trace says with a smirk. Bloody hell, is he intentionally poking the bear?

Case launches himself at Trace, throwing a punch to his jaw, and I scramble forward, pulling at Case’s jacket. “Case, get off him.”

Moving my body in closer, I see the rest of the guys run over. Knowing a punch is going to be thrown, I slide behind Case so his elbow connects with my jaw.

Crying out, I fall and exaggerate the pain, even though it wasn’t that bad.

Laughn rips Case off Trace and throws him away from us. Boston storms over, picking him up by the scruff of his shirt and pointing to me. Case looks like he just killed the family dog.

“Fuck,” he swears and races out of the room to the right, through the door that leads to the reception area of the hotel.

Kai follows, pretending he is going to go calm him down. Case sent us all floor plans in case we needed to know all the exits. They don’t trust Mr Z and wanted to cover all bases.

“Are you okay?” Davis bends down in front of me, surprising me with his softness. He may look like the boy next door with his big brown puppy-dog eyes and perfect smile, but that’s a trap—everything about him is calculated.

“Yeah, I think I should ice it, just in case.” He nods and is quickly joined by Jimmie, who pushes him aside.

“Holy shit, are you okay? Let’s get some ice while you tell me who that hot piece of ass was and why Case tried to knock him out.”

I laugh at his forwardness. “I thought you had a thing with Kai.”

“That didn’t lead anywhere. It was kind of a turn-off when he talked about you the whole time. I swear you’re like the pied piper with men. You need to teach me your ways, oh wise one.”

I snort, unable to deny what he said.

“What will I do with them all? It’s mind-blowing. I never wanted one, let alone all these guys I have collected.”

“Gang bangs,” he says with a straight face. “You have three holes, you lucky bitch, and two hands.”

“Jimmie,” I say, wide eyed. “Five at once...?”

“I read, and it’s totally possible.”

Shaking my head, we make our way to the bar for some ice. I’m surprised that the fight worked. Case stormed off with Kai trailing behind, and Trace is talking to Mr Z, who is none the wiser that it was fake.

We take the ice and Jimmie takes me to his table, where Sinclair and Danika are seated. I can see they are dying for information. Danika is almost jumping out of her chair with excitement.

“Holy shit, girl. Why would you break that up? You were the filling in that man meat sandwich.” She fans herself dramatically and I roll my eyes.

“I have known Trace for a long time. He is my best friend.”

“Jimmie, it’s like that book you made us read. The one where the girl falls for a guy and then her best friend realises he is in love with her, but then she is all upset that she has to choose. And we are all pro ‘why choose’ except Sinclair—she is a one-man woman. Personally, I think it’s because she couldn’t handle all the dicks.”

Danika talks so fast it’s hard to keep up with her sometimes.

“I could so handle all the dicks,” Sinclair almost shouts.

“That’s handy to know,” a voice behind us says, causing us all to turn in the direction of the newcomer.

Sinclair goes beet red and hides her face in embarrassment.

“And you are?” I ask. This guy is scruffy looking in a hot way. I vaguely remember seeing his face somewhere.

“Colt, Team Hijack.”

Recognition registers. “You were the one at fight night with Laughn.”

“That would be the one. Best opponent I have gone up against. He loves to inflict pain, and I love to receive it. Pity we both don’t bat for the same team. We could have some fun and then the pretty girl could see if she really could handle all the dicks.”

A sudden growl radiates from my windpipe as jealousy raises its ugly head and confusion washes over me. I have never felt this before.

“Whoa, girl. It’s okay. I was joking—he is all yours. But if you ever want someone to join in, just call me.” He has the nerve to wink. “And you, pretty girl,” he says, looking directly at Sinclair, “if you ever want to be corrupted, killer here knows how to find me.”

With that, Colt walks away, leaving Sinclair’s mouth agape, Danika with a huge smile plastered on her face, and Jimmie shaking his head.

“This shit never happened before we met you.” Jimmie sighs. “You’re a hot-guy magnet.”

“Honestly, I never asked for it. My usual type is douchebags, if that helps. Even though the verdict is still out on some of the guys and if they fit the douche category. I have to pee, I’ll be back.” Everyone nods as I get up and make my way across the room, feeling eyes watching me the entire way. I don’t acknowledge them, so I don’t ruin their plans.

Pushing open the bathroom door, I find Elizabeth standing at the sink, reapplying her lipstick. She gives me another once-over before she smirks.

“They could do better... I’ll give it to you, you’re cute, but cute doesn’t cut it.”

“I’m sure they could,” I snark back, not letting her words affect me. “But the problem is they won’t stay away. It’s the opposite problem for you though, isn’t it? You have a hard time getting them to stay.” I smirk back at her.

She huffs and steps closer to me as I walk past her. She grabs my arm, and I turn back to look at her, wondering what other bullshit is going to fly from her mouth.

“Stay away from Marlow, even he can do better.”

I snatch my arm back. “Don’t start pretending that you give a shit about him. He is your free meal ticket, and you know it.”

Her face screws up in disgust, but she decides I’m not worth her attention anymore and storms out of the room.

I shake my head and sigh heavily in exasperation.